A2 The Boss
by miss37
Summary: Sequel to "The Life of Mac Taylor". Mac Taylor has a new life in Wyoming with his new wife and working on a ranch, but his life is anything but dull as a whole sequence of events unfold, and he takes a job as a private detective which takes him back to New York for a more than exciting time...involving millions of dollars in jewels and a kidnapping.
1. Chapter 1

Mac Taylor opened his eyes and realized it was Monday morning…the day that he became the boss of the ranch. He sat up as he did not think he would be able to sleep anymore after thinking of that. He did not think he was this nervous the first day he was the boss of the crime lab…and he supposed it was because he knew what he was doing then. Johnny had coached him for a whole week about everything and he had learned a lot, and what he did not know, they had assured him that the others would help him with that. He looked at Connie, his wife, lying beside him in the bed sleeping soundly. He did not want to wake her up tossing and turning so he got up and went into the living room after he went to the bathroom. He looked out the back doors at the silhouette of the mountains out there, and the moon hanging high over them. It was about 3:00 in the morning. He remembered a lot of times that he had been up at this hour, and had stood over a dead body trying to figure out how they died and trying to preserve evidence to capture the person who took that person's life. That seemed like another person now. His mind had relaxed a whole lot since he had moved here and started working on a different kind of job, one that was not stressful most of the time unless a sudden thunderstorm came over the mountain and had hail in it. He had even been through that in the last week. He had ran and got under the thick cedar trees and had managed to avoid getting pelted by hail. He had to admit, he had never worried much about that kind of stuff in New York. It had been quite an experience and the lightning that came with it was incredible, not to mention the thunder. Now he was worried. Everyone who worked at that ranch knew he would be the boss for the next two weeks and some of them did not like it…others accepted it, and still others liked the idea. He supposed he might be a little upset if he had been working at a ranch like that for years and then suddenly, someone who had only been there a few months became his boss.

He had been through quite a lot since he had been at this ranch working, and since he had been in Wyoming in general. He had been in a great depression when he came here and had intended to just live in his cabin and not interact with anyone…until that night he went to a bar, and even picked up a hooker, and took her up to his cabin. Mac shook his head as he could not believe he did something like that. He had come to his senses before he did something stupid, and he was glad that Jo had been in town at the time because he ran to her and told her everything that he had done. She went with him to get a job on the ranch that he worked on now. Since he had been working there, he had scooped chicken poop out of the chicken houses, cleaned horse stalls, picked vegetables, fruit, and had done almost everything one could do on a ranch. Then he had gotten into trouble when he came upon a bunker that was being used by terrorists who were building weapons and planning something, but when he got in, they had captured him and he was rescued by some who worked at the ranch who had infiltrated the organization, but he could not remember much about that situation because he had hit his head. He had met Connie after that and his life had made a 180 degree turn in the other direction as he had fallen in love with her, and then he had been shot while they were on a cattle drive, and "the boss" who had been the leader of that group in the bunker had tried to murder him, and then tried to capture him again while they were at the livestock and fair show, but his bosses, Johnny and Janie had been watching and had rescued him. It was not long after that that he had married Connie and he had surprised her with a new house that they now lived in.

Johnny and Janie, the bosses of the ranch got married and were going on a two week honeymoon, and they left Mac in charge of the ranch while they were gone. Now, here he stood at three in the morning, worrying about it. He sighed as he thought of all the problems they could have on a ranch. He just hoped he could get James Jordan in line. He wanted to do it gently but firmly. The guy was young and did not know how to take on his responsibility yet, although Mac thought he should by now. He would teach him responsibility because he would treat him like he was in the Marines if he did not straighten up on his own.

Mac heard something and realized that Connie was coming down the hall. "Mac?" she said.

"I'm in here," Mac replied.

"Honey, it's three-o-five in the morning. What are you doing up?"

"Worrying."

"About what?"

"About being the boss of this ranch."

Connie came over to him and rubbed his bare shoulders and kissed his back. "You're going to do fine," she said.

"How can you say that when I haven't been working at the ranch long?"

"It doesn't matter. You're a leader and you work great with people."

"I hope."

Connie moved around in front of him as he was still looking out the windows. He looked into her blue eyes. "You're going to do great," she said. "Now, don't argue with me."

Mac smiled and ran his fingers through her blond hair. "Yes, Ma'am."

Connie smiled. "I know you, and I know you can do it."

"You may have to help me."

"Don't worry. You take care of the bossing and I'll take care of the kitchen and the books and the business."

Mac nodded. "That's a deal."

Connie moved closer to him and kissed him. "Come and get back in the bed," she said.

"I don't think I can sleep right now," Mac replied.

"I'll help you sleep."

"Are you sure?"

"Oh, yes. You will be exhausted."

Mac smiled as she headed for the bedroom and dropped her robe as she went. He suddenly did not feel very tired at all and he ran after her. Connie screamed and ran down the hall giggling as she went. Mac hit the bed at almost the same time she did as they were both laughing. He leaned over her and looked into her beautiful face. "I love you," he said.

"I love you too."

Mac forgot about being the boss of the ranch until he got up at five. Connie was up too and she was getting ready. "I think this is kinda exciting," she said.

"What?" Mac asked as he pulled his boots on.

"Being the boss."

"Oh, I don't think I would call it that. When you're the boss, you're responsible for what happens."

"What could happen, Dear?"

"A lot could happen. Don't get me to thinking about this again. I think I need some coffee."

"I have to get there and make sure breakfast is being prepared."

"Yeah. Let's get going."

Mac grabbed the keys to the Avalanche and they went out and headed for the ranch. He even had to turn the heat on this morning. It was a crisp, cool morning in the mountains. They arrived at the ranch to find that most everyone was already there and Mac could smell the breakfast cooking. "Well, it's your first day, Boss," Billy said as she slapped Mac on the back.

"Don't remind me," Mac replied.

"You're not nervous, are you?"

"I sure am."

"Don't worry. Things are going to be fine."

Mac was glad they all had so much confidence in him because he had none of his own. He hoped nothing drastic happened while Johnny and Janie were gone. He went into the office and found that Johnny had made out a schedule for him so that he would be able to follow that to keep up with everything. And at the bottom, Johnny had written, **"Don't Worry!" **

Mac smiled at that and shook his head. Today, we was supposed to go out to the pasture to make sure they had repaired a section of fence that had been weakened. He was hoping that he would not have to deal with James on the first day but he supposed he needed to get it over with so they could get the work done.

After breakfast, everyone scattered to their areas of work except the ones who went to the fields. Mac realized he was supposed to assign them and he had not looked to see what needed to be picked today. "We'll go out there and figure it out," Billy said. "We'll get it done."

"Thanks," Mac replied.

"I'll make notes of what will probably need to be picked tomorrow for you."

"I'll appreciate that."

Billy and the others took the wagon and headed out to the field. Mac felt like he had already failed his first test. Connie came out there to him. "Don't worry about that," she said. "They know what to do."

Mac looked at her. "I know, but I want to stay on top of everything."

"Baby, this is the first day. You're going to get the hang of it. You have to go out to the pasture, don't you?"

Mac nodded. "Yes."

"Don't take no crap off them. You lay down the law and you tell them they are going to follow it, or else."

"Or else, what?"

"Get rough with them."

"I'll try."

Mac went out to the barn and got a horse and put his chaps on for the day. He had to go out there so he figured he might as well do it now but he would take his time because he wanted them to have time to get busy before he rode up. He enjoyed the ride out to the pasture and found James, Cory, and Joris sitting on their horses talking. They looked up as they saw Mac coming that way but then just kept on talking. He knew they were young but they were going to learn something today.

"What are you fellas doing?" Mac asked as he rode up.

"We're talking," James said as though it were obvious.

"Aren't you supposed to be working?"

"We'll get to it when we feel like it. You can't do anything about it."

Mac got down from his horse and walked over to James' horse. "You want to say that again?" he asked.

"You have no authority around here and you shouldn't be the boss," James declared.

Mac looked down at the ground trying to calm his anger down just a little and then he grabbed James and dragged him down off the horse. He glared at Cory and Joris. "You two just stay right where you are," Mac said. Then he looked at James as he jerked him close to him by the collars. "Now you listen to me…I know you're a little young, stubborn headed, disrespectful, pompous, lazy good for nothing, but I'm telling you right now, you're going to do your work and you're going to start when I say. You understand that?"

James swallowed hard. "Yeah," he said just a little defiantly.

Mac jerked him closer, almost nose to nose. "I want to hear 'yes, sir'," he said.

"Yes sir," James said.

"Now, you get over there to that fence section and start repairing it, and the next time you disrespect me, I'm going to send you packing, and yes, I have the authority. You got that?"

"Yes sir."

Mac let go of his collars and straightened his shirt. "Now, you get on that horse and get over there and repair that fence," he said calmly.

James just stared at Mac a moment but he got on his horse and went to the fence. Mac looked at Cory and Joris who were grinning about the whole thing. Their smiles faded when they saw that Mac was looking at them. "And if you two want to keep a job, I better not catch you ribbing him about this," he said. "Or I will boot you out too. Now, what are you two supposed to be doing?"

Cory swallowed hard. "I'm supposed to be bringing those cows down from the hills over there," he said.

"Then get to it!"

Cory knew he was not going to argue so he nudged his horse and was off on a run. Mac looked at Joris next. "And just what are you supposed to be doing?" he asked.

"Inspecting the herd," Joris replied.

"Then get to it."

Joris went on about his business too. Mac took a deep breath. He did not like disciplining someone like that but he would have respect or they would be looking for a job. He got back on his own horse and rode out closer to the herd and could see James over at the broken fence section, and he was definitely working. Mac hoped he could get that boy to do the right thing and stop being defiant.

When he had rode around the herd, Mac rode back to the ranch house and tied his horse at the rail since he would be going out again. He went into the house and into the kitchen. Connie smiled as he came in. "Mmm, mmm, mmm, wearing those chaps," she said.

Mac smiled. "I'm only wearing them for you," he said as he tipped his hat.

Connie laughed. "You joker."

"Well, I had to ride the horse out there to the herd."

"You've been out there already?"

"Sure I have."

"Did you take care of business while you were out there?"

Mac drank some water and then looked at her. "I dished out a little discipline," he said.

"I bet you did," Connie replied as she was taking another pot of beans to the sink. "What did James do?"

"He's repairing the fence." Mac bit into a juicy plum. "I expect he will be very hungry when he gets back."

Connie laughed to herself as Mac walked out of the kitchen. She could imagine what kind of trouble he had out there. She knew how much Johnny had complained about James and his friends, but he had not fired them because of the cattle drive and the need for experienced hands.

Mac went back out to his horse and mounted up. He ate the plum he had in his hand, and he had gotten two others besides that one. He was on his way out to the fields now. He had not thought he would be a boss again, but people always looked at one different when they were the boss. Some people wanted to be led, but others did not like someone telling them what to do, and then there were others who did not like it because it was "he" who was the boss. He did not know why Janie and Johnny left him in charge, but he was going to do the best he could.

When Mac got out to the fields, he could see that there were a lot of peas on those vines. He felt as though he should be down there picking them with everyone else. "Hey, y'all better get busy," Billy said. "The boss is here!" He smiled at Mac.

Mac shook his head at Billy's sarcasm. He reminded him a lot of Don…always trying to make things more cheerful. "You better make sure you get all that stuff," Mac said. "I'll have to send you back out here to pick in the dark."

"Now, you wouldn't do that, would you?"

"I don't know. Don't put it past me."

When lunch time came, Mac went to the house and dismounted from his horse. He yawned as he walked up onto the porch. He and James were going in the door at just the same time, but James stepped aside. "Go ahead," Mac said.

"Yes, sir," James replied and went on into the house.

Connie was standing inside the door when Mac came in with her arms folded. "What did you do to James?" she asked quietly. "He called you 'sir'?"

"I didn't do anything," Mac replied with a smirky smile.

Connie shook her head as they went to the table. She thought this was going to be a very interesting two weeks if he could get James to call him sir and do his job like he was supposed to.

After lunch, Mac went out on the front porch and stretched. "Mister Taylor," James said as he walked up to him.

"You can just call me Mac."

"Yes sir. I, uh, finished that section of fence."

"Good. I'm glad to hear that. Have you noticed any other sections that need fixing?"

"No sir, but there are some that look like they're getting a little worn."

"Well, let it go for a few days and just keep an eye on them. If you see that they're not holding like they should, let me know."

"I will."

Mac watched as James mounted his horse and headed out to the pasture. He thought maybe sometimes a person just needed to see what they were doing. Connie came out on the porch and stood beside Mac. "What did you do to him?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Mac asked.

Connie looked at him. "You had to do something to get him to respect you like that."

"We just had a little talk is all."

"I'll bet."

"You better get in there and get to work, woman. I wouldn't want to have to reprimand you too."

Connie tried to hit Mac on the shoulder but he jumped off the porch and looked at her with a mischievous smile. "You're in for it," she said.

"I can take whatever you dish out," Mac replied.

Connie folded her arms as Mac laughed and went to his horse. "I'll see you later, Ma'am," he said making his voice sound deeper and sophisticated. "I've got some bossin' to do."

"Mac, you haven't been in the wine cellar, have you?"

Mac laughed and shook his head. "You know better than that."

Connie watched him ride off and she could not help but smile. She still could not believe that he got James to do his job and be respectful. She went on into the house to get busy on her job.

By the end of that week, Mac was getting the hang of being in charge. Everyone was working and doing what they were supposed to do and things were getting done very well. "I think those pea vines are just about finished," Billy said. "They're starting to turn yellow. I don't think they're going to make anymore good ones."

"What do we usually do when they get done?" Mac asked.

"They usually let the rest of them go to seed and then pick those, and then plow the rest of it under."

"I guess that's what we should do then."

"By the end of the week, they should be loaded with seeds."

"Okay."

"I would say the same thing about the butterbeans and that corn is ready too."

"Well, let's just try to keep up with everything and when Johnny and Janie come home, maybe they won't think the place has been neglected."

"Oh it hasn't. I can't believe you put James and his friends to cleaning out the chicken houses."

"They didn't have much else to do out there right now so I thought I would make good use of their time. Besides, it's just James and Cory who are doing that, and Joris is cleaning out the stalls."

"I don't know how you got James to decide to grow up and do his job."

"Is everyone still talking about that?" Mac asked. "It's been a whole week."

"Well, it's just strange," Billy said. "He's going around like his butt's on fire."

"Maybe he only needed a little encouragement."

"Maybe."

Mac could tell the weather was changing because the nights were even cooler now and there seemed to be a chill in the wind. Although it was still summer, he knew summer was getting close to being over. After all, it was August already. September would be a very big change in the weather because the average temperatures dropped, and the lows started getting down to freezing.

Mac could hardly believe it would be another whole week before Johnny and Janie got back. He wanted to take another horseback ride into the hills before the snow started flying. Maybe he would do that some time this week, and maybe some of the others would want to go too, and maybe Connie would to, but she had a lot of work to do now that Janie was not even there. He just hoped it was not too much for her because she would not admit it if it was. He thought maybe he would take her on a short vacation when they got back. He thought maybe he could use one himself too.


	2. Chapter 2

The next Monday, everyone was busy at the ranch again. Mac had talked to Janie on Saturday and gave her a report about how everything was going. Johnny asked him about James and his two friends, and Mac humbly told him that he talked to them and they were being very cooperative. Johnny had laughed at that suggestion, and said he could not wait to get back there and see what had been accomplished.

Mac yawned as he went into the barn to get his horse. He leaned on the fence rail a moment as he felt so sleepy, he thought he could sneak up to the loft and curl up in that hay. "No sleeping on the job!" someone said loudly.

Mac was startled and looked around to see Billy coming into the barn. "What do you think you're doing?" Mac asked.

"I'm getting a new harness for that horse," Billy said. "That one is frayed on one side."

"Well, can't you do it quietly?"

"No. I feel like being loud in the mornings."

Mac rolled his eyes and got the saddle onto his horse. He knew everyone knew why he was so sleepy all the time, and he figured it was a big joke when everyone was working out there in the fields. He had drunk some coffee at breakfast but he supposed it took it a while to get him going. He loved Connie but he wished she would get sleepy. There were times when he wondered if she was taking naps in the pantry.

That evening, Connie had to work late again, and Mac worked on books in the office. He yawned as he looked at the tallies that everyone had turned in. Two cows had had calves this week, and the vet had come and helped them, and now there was a bill for that. Janie had told him that it would be there though. Mostly they had no feed bills because they raised their own feed for the animals, such as corn and hay. It would not be long until they would be cutting that hay again. Mac had never been involved in that yet, and he was glad Janie and Johnny would be back before that happened.

Mac had decided that he would go for a ride after he got this stuff done while Connie was still working. He had not just gone on a horseback ride for pleasure in quite a while. He let Connie know where he was going and rode off toward the area where he had gotten into so much trouble before. He could definitely remember which way he went. As he rode along the trail, he started to smell wood smoke. He wondered who was out there burning something in these woods, and he had not seen any smoke from outside the woods. The area he was in now was part of the ranch property, but he knew that bunker was not on the ranch property.

Mac rode on around into a clearing and found the wood smoke he had been smelling. There was definitely a fire in the clearing and it was surrounded by rocks. Mac rode over to the fire which had apparently been abandoned and was not put out properly. He got down from the horse and walked over to the fire. There was definitely nothing there and the fire was still burning. He realized that it did not look like anyone had tried to put this fire out, and there was even a small flame burning. He looked around him wondering who built this fire, but he put dirt over it until it was smothered out, then he mounted his horse and rode on. He did not see any horse tracks in the trail, and there were not supposed to be any. He went on around the trail until he came into view of the compound and bunker. He felt very nervous as he saw it, almost remembering something but could not quite put his finger on it. He rode down to the gate of the place which was chained and locked, and had a big red sign on it that said KEEP OUT. Mac looked through the gate wishing that he could go down there, and maybe he would remember something that happened in there but obviously it was off limits to everyone.

As Mac stood there, he suddenly heard a footstep, and he knew it was not the horse. His hand instinctively went to his side where there was no weapon. He thought he was going to have to start carrying one again. He heard another footstep and then he darted over to a tree, and then he heard running feet. Mac turned around to see two men coming toward him in camouflage. He turned and ran since he was away from his horse now, and he had no weapons to fight with. He had to get to a place where he could get the upper hand although he did not know if they had any weapons. He soon came to a large tree and stopped behind it and waited. He could easily hear them coming through the woods. As they got close, he got ready and stuck his arm out right in front of the first one knocking him backward into the other one.

Mac got over to them and punched the first one in the nose, and then got hold of the second one. This one was not addled like the first and he gave Mac a punch to the stomach, but Mac jerked the man forward by the arm, right into his elbow and then dislocated the guy's elbow with a sickening pop that caused the man to scream with pain. The other man was starting to come around, so Mac kicked him in the face, and then they were both lying on the ground. Mac glared at them. "Now, what are you two doing here?" he asked.

"You broke my elbow!" one of them wailed.

"You better start talking," Mac declared. "Or I'm going to do more than that! Now, what are you doing out here?"

"We could ask you the same thing," the other man said as he was starting to get his bearings back.

"I wasn't out here sneaking up on somebody. Why were you sneaking up on me?"

"We were wondering what you were doing."

"Don't give me that. You chased me too. What's going on out here? You can tell me or you can tell the sheriff."

"I need a doctor," the one with the dislocated elbow whined.

"Well, I'm sure you have a vehicle or something out here. Your pal there can take you to the doctor. I guess maybe this will teach you not to sneak up on somebody."

"You can't just leave us here like this."

"Like what? I only have one horse. I can't put the two of you on that horse. You can walk. You're lucky I don't take you back and call the sheriff."

Just then, Mac heard a footstep behind him. He whirled around and saw a flash of movement as he heard the crack of a whip. He felt the stinging as the whip wrapped around him, but then he grabbed the whip but it was jerked out of his hand and he felt the heat as it dragged through his hand. He looked around at the person who had the whip. "Who are you?" Mac asked as he tried to overcome the pain that was in his hand and around his waist.

"You're the one," the man replied.

Mac bent his knees in a fighting stance as he saw the whip coming toward him again, but just as it was about to grab him again, he rolled away from it and came back to his feet. He knew he had to get close to that guy so he could not use that whip. He ran toward the man as he was recoiling to snap the whip at him again. Mac tackled him and they fell to the ground and rolled a little way down the hill that was behind them. Mac grabbed hold of the whip trying to take it from the man and they were in a struggle as the man was trying to get the whip around Mac. Mac knew if he got that whip around his neck, he would be out of luck. The hillside was slightly muddy so it was hard to keep a good footing as they struggled but Mac finally punched the man and knocked him a little further down the hill, and held onto the whip but the man would not let it go and when he got his footing back, he tried to jerk the whip from Mac's hand again. Instead of jerking the whip from his hand, he jerked Mac and his feet slid in the slick mud. He landed on his butt but he did not let go of the whip and slid further down the hill on his butt. He jerked the whip himself and the man fell flat of his face in the mud. Mac took his action then, and jumped down the hill onto his attacker. They rolled even further down the hill as they struggled with each other. Mac punched the guy in the face, knocking him backward, and then Mac had the whip. He glared at the man who was lying in the mud just a little further down the hill than he was. "Get up," Mac said.

The man stood up and glared at Mac. "You won't get away with this," he said.

"Get away with what?" Mac asked.

"Messing up our operation. You messed it up once but you won't do it this time."

"Operation? You were in on this crazy mixed up terrorist plot?"

"You can't stop us all."

Mac had to force himself not to use the whip to teach this guy a lesson. "Move," he said.

Since they could not get back up the hill the way they got down, they went to the side to get back to the trail. Mac did not know if the other two were where he had left them or not so he had to be cautious since he did not have a weapon, and neither of them seemed to have any weapons either so he could not take one from them.

Mac and his prisoner arrived back where the other two…had been. Mac had not thought the one with the dislocated elbow would get up but apparently he did. "Where would they go around here?" he asked.

"You won't ever take me down from here," the man replied.

"And just what's going to stop me?"

"There's more going on around here than you know."

"I'm sure there is but it's going to stop."

"I wouldn't bet on that!" someone else said.

Mac looked around to see another man standing close to them but this one had a rifle. "Now, you just let go of my friend there," he said.

Mac let go of the man he was holding and he moved over to his friend. "You must be Mac Taylor," the man with the rifle said.

"And just who are you?" Mac asked.

"I'm someone who doesn't appreciate you sneaking around here and messing up our business here."

"What business?"

"Never mind."

They dragged Mac over to the gate of the bunker and unlocked it. They took him inside and took him into the compound where they locked him into a concrete room. Mac sat down in the chair and leaned on his hands as he sighed. When would he ever learn? Then again, he had not thought there was anyone up here anymore. He was just there to see if he could remember anything. Now, he was in trouble, and how would he get out of this with no one knowing that he was in trouble.

Connie walked out onto the porch at the ranch house and shaded her eyes as she looked toward the hills. She wondered why Mac was staying gone so long. Billy walked up on the porch and looked toward the hills where Connie was looking. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Mac went riding," Connie said. "And he hasn't come back yet."

"Maybe he'll be back soon."

"I thought he would be back by the time I got done working."

"You want me to go looking for him?"

Connie looked at him. "Well, I don't know. He got into so much trouble up there before."

Billy looked toward the hills and thought about that. "Shawn and I will ride up there and see if we can find him and make sure he's not in trouble," he said.

"Thanks."

Connie looked toward the hills with a worried look as Billy walked away. She hoped Mac was not up there in trouble again.

Billy went to the bunkhouse. "Shawn, get up," Billy said as he got his rifle to load it.

"What's going on?" Shawn asked.

"Mac went out riding and hasn't come back."

"Riding where?"

"Out there. You know where."

Shawn groaned as he sat up to get his clothes back on. "Surely they're not back there again," he said.

"Maybe he's not in trouble or maybe it has nothing to do with that but we have to find out."

"I'll go with you too," Harold said.

"Good," Billy replied as he finished loading his rifle.

Shawn and Harold loaded their too and they went out to the barn to get a horse. They put their rifles in the boots until they got out of sight of Connie. Billy hoped there was nothing going on out there but he could not be sure and if there was, they would have to figure out how to get Mac out. They rode on up the trail and finally found Mac's horse. Billy looked at his two companions. "We have to get in there," he said.

They left their horses there with Mac's and hurried around the perimeter of the fence and found the secret entrance that they had to the compound. They just hoped they would not be too late.


	3. Chapter 3

Mac was sitting in his room when his three captors came in. He stood up as he realized they had handcuffs with them and a ball and chain. "Why can't you just let me go?" he asked. "You're not going to get away with this anyway."

"Shut up," one of them said.

They grabbed him, and he tried to struggle but he could not overcome all three of them and they got the ball and chain hooked to his ankle so he could not run and then they cuffed his hands in front of him. The one who seemed to be the leader of this crowd put the ball in Mac's hands. "I wouldn't drop that on my toe if I were you," he said.

Mac glared at him, and then they took him out of the room. He wondered where they were taking him but he did not think it could be any place good since he was chained so he could not run away. They took him down the tunnels and around to the place where Billy and Shawn had gotten him out of this place the first time. Mac stared at the large metal door that was not open yet, and he remembered being there before. He thought Billy and Shawn had been with him.

His captors opened the metal door which led outside, and into nothingness because they were several feet above the ground and Mac could hear rushing water. He had definitely been here before. They grabbed him and pulled him over to the edge of the doorway. "NO!" Mac yelled. "You can't!" He could see the rushing water coming out of the side of the mountain and he could see the flowing creek down below. "Wait!"

"Wait for what?" one of the men asked.

"Look, I wasn't trying to do anything here. Don't kill me!"

"I didn't think I'd ever hear you begging."

"I'm not begging!"

Mac shoved that heavy ball at the man and then someone shot into the air. Mac looked to see Billy, Shawn and Harold there just as that heavy ball hit the floor. He had never been so relieved to see anyone. "Now, you fellas just hold it," Billy said. "What do you think you're doing to Mac here? And what are you doing in this compound?"

They all just glared at him. "I know these three," Shawn said. "This is Raymond, Jesse, and Burt. They were in on the whole thing."

"And just happened to escape," Billy added. "You still trying to hold out working for the boss? Don't you know he's in prison?"

"He won't be for long," Jesse declared.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'm not telling you anything."

Suddenly, Jesse shoved Mac backward, and he stumbled out the door. Mac yelled in alarm as he could not stop himself from falling, and then he felt that ball jerk his leg and start pulling him down even faster.

"Mac!" Billy yelled and did not even think twice before he ran right out the door after Mac.

Mac knew he was going to plunge into that cold water, and then he would be pulled down to the bottom by that ball. He took in a deep breath just before he went into the water and then he almost lost it when he felt that cold water but he managed not to panic. He could not get his hands loose and he could not swim because that ball was pulling him down.

Billy soon plunged into the water too. It was definitely cold. He swam to the top to orient himself, but he knew Mac did not have much time. He took a deep breath and dove down. It was very dark but the water was clear and he could see Mac below him struggling but not making any progress. Billy got down to him and grabbed him from behind and then he headed for the top of the water. Mac could see the surface of the water and it seemed to be so far away. They finally broke the surface and Mac sucked in a breath before they were plunged under the water again. Billy managed to get Mac's head back above the water and Mac was gasping for breath. "Get that thing off my ankle," Mac said.

"I can't," Billy replied. "I don't have anything to get it off. Just hang on and I'm going to get us to the bank."

Billy began swimming toward the bank although it was not easy with that ball hanging on Mac's leg, and he was having a hard time keeping Mac's head above the water but they would soon get to the bank. Billy finally got to the bank and got out, and then he pulled Mac out of the water. They both gasped for air for a moment. "Well, that's two times I saved your butt," Billy said as he looked at Mac.

"I was just trying to remember," Mac said. "I didn't know there was anyone out here."

"We didn't know it either."

Mac sat up and looked at Billy. "Just who are you?" he asked.

Billy sat up and rubbed water out of his hair. "I just help Johnny and Janie sometimes," he said. "I penetrated this group and helped them break up this thing…and then you came along."

Mac shook his head. "I wish I had never gotten involved in this mess. I came out here to have peace, not break up a terrorist ring. I might as well be in New York."

Billy reached into his wet pocket and got a handcuff key. He unlocked the cuffs on Mac's wrists. "I can't get that ball and chain off until we get the key from those three turkeys."

Mac rubbed his wrists and sighed. "I hope this is the end of this," he said. "I want to just live with my wife and have a peaceful life. Is that too much to ask?"

"No, it's not. She was worried about you. That's why we came up here to see about you."

"She didn't come, did she?"

"No."

"Hey, Billy!" someone yelled.

"Over here, Shawn!" Billy replied.

Soon, Shawn came into view around the trees. "Man, I thought we had lost you," he said. "Are you two alright?"

"Yeah," Billy said. "But I can't get that ball and chain off his leg."

"We searched those three and didn't find a key."

"I guess they didn't think they were going to be removing that thing."

Mac frowned. "I guess they thought it would be forever in the bottom of that creek with me attached," he said.

"Where are those three?" Billy asked.

"Oh, don't worry," Shawn said. "They're not going anywhere. We have them locked up in one of their own cells and Harold is watching them."

"Good. Let's get moving."

They all got up and Mac picked up that ball which was definitely not light. He thought that thing weighed at least twenty-five pounds if not more. They went around the edge of the creek and around the compound to the front entrance. Shawn led them to where they had their three captives. Billy looked into the cell. "Where is the key to this ball and chain?" he asked.

None of them said anything. "I asked you a question," Billy said.

"We're not telling you anything," Jesse replied.

"If you don't, we're going to leave you here in this cell while we go to find something to get it off, and you never know how long that might take."

"You can't do that. You won't."

"Oh really?" Billy looked at Shawn and Harold. "You guys got any objections?"

"Not a one," Shawn said, and Harold shook his head.

Mac tried not to smile but he knew these three were all about self-preservation. Burt stood up. "There is no key!" he declared. "You can't leave us in here!"

"What do you mean there's no key?" Billy asked.

"There's not a key to it. It's not like we thought we would be taking it off."

"What did I tell you?" Shawn asked.

"So we're going to have to get him back to the ranch to get this off," Harold said.

Mac dreaded having to try to get back there with this ball and chain on his ankle but he supposed he had no choice. Billy, Shawn, and Harold got the three prisoners out of the cell and they all headed outside. "Do you three have horses?" Billy asked.

"He scared them off," Burt declared pointing at Mac.

"I did not," Mac replied. "I didn't even see any horses."

"Well, something scared them off."

Mac wondered what was going on around this place, but he just wanted to get out of here. He intended to stay away from this place and just live and work on the ranch. At least he had his own horse. Billy tied the three captives to the horses and they would walk back to the ranch. Mac managed to get the ball into a saddle bag and his foot into the stirrup. It would be a slow trek back to the ranch but he was ready to get out of these hills.

As they were on their way down, they heard something grunt in the woods. Mac looked out there and swallowed hard. "What was that?" he whispered.

"I don't know, but just stay in the middle," Billy whispered as he got his gun from the scabbard. It had gotten wet when he plunged into that creek but it would still work.

Mac noticed that the three captives were looking warily at the woods too. Then they heard something like a howl, but it did not sound like a wolf. "There's spooks in these woods!" Jesse whispered. "Get us on those horses and let's get out of here!"

"I'm not hauling your carcass on my horse," Billy said. "If there's something hungry out there, I'll just let it have you so I can get away."

Jesse glared at him, wondering if Billy actually meant that. Mac did not think that was funny. He thought if something spooked these horses, he would be in a lot of trouble because if he got bucked off, he would not be able to run. He wished they could move faster but with three people walking, they could not. However, Jesse and the others seemed to want to move faster.

Just then, they heard the "howl" again, and it sounded closer, and then there was another sound almost like a grunt or a growl. "I think it's tracking us," Mac whispered.

"I think you may be right," Billy replied.

"What do you think it is?"

"Well, there have been people who thought they saw Sasquatch out here."

Mac rolled his eyes. "Are you kidding?" he asked.

"No."

"Surely you don't believe in Bigfoot. If it's so real, how come there are no clear pictures of them? Why are they always so blurred that you can't tell anything about it? Why are they never spotted on cameras that record animal life?"

"I don't know."

"Well, there's some sort of animal out there and it's coming closer. Don't you think we should try to move faster?"

"How? There are three people walking."

"Do what he suggested and get them on the horses. Man, I'm nervous. I can't run."

Billy could see the predicament Mac was in, and if those horses bolted, they would be in trouble. Suddenly, they heard the howl again, and then the growl. "Get 'em up," he whispered, and he, Shawn and Harold got the prisoners up on the horses with them.

They nudged their horses to go faster, but they were traveling down and could not go much faster. Mac was looking behind them but he had nothing to shoot with. "Here," Billy said and handed Mac a pistol.

Mac took the pistol and watched behind them as he heard something rustling in the woods now. He thought whatever it was had to be very big because he could hear limbs popping too. He wanted to nudge that horse into a run but he knew if he did, it might tumble down a hill and then he would not be worried about anything anymore.

As they got down from the hill and started across the pasture toward the ranch house, they sped up as much as they could. Mac saw something black come from the woods and stood up on its hind legs…or had it been running that way. It howled at them and then another came out and spewed forth a blood-curdling growl. Mac held the pistol ready in case those things charged, whatever they were, and he wished he had a rifle. Whatever their two chasers had been, they went back into the woods.

Mac looked at Billy. "What in the world was that?" Mac asked.

"Let's just not talk about it," Billy replied. "I'd rather not talk about it and be called crazy."

Jesse looked totally terrified even in the darkness. Mac glared at him. "You see that?" he asked. "I think everybody needs to stay away from that place up there."

"Don't worry," Jesse replied. "You won't catch me up there again, not for anybody!"

They rode into the ranch yard and everyone dismounted except Mac. He looked toward those woods as he heard a loud howling and growling sound again. Connie was standing at the hitch rail and looked at Mac. "What was that?" she asked.

"I don't know," Mac said. "But I want this ball and chain off me."

"We'll get it off," Billy said.

"What happened?" Connie asked. "Why do you have a ball and chain on your ankle and why are there three prisoners here?"

"It's a long story," Mac said.

They took care of the three prisoners and then Billy took Mac to the barn so he could get tools to remove the shackle from his ankle. He opened a cabinet in the barn that had all sorts of old keys in it. Mac's mouth dropped open. "You mean…"

"I'm sorry," Billy said. "I don't know any other way to do it. I can't weld it off."

Mac sat down on the bench in the barn, and Connie sat down beside him. "While he's doing that, you can tell me what happened," she said. "And why are you wet?"

Mac had almost forgotten that he was wet when they heard whatever that was out there in the woods. He explained to Connie what happened, and she looked horrified. "Mac, why are they trying to kill you?" she asked.

"Well, they were the only ones we found out there, so maybe this is the end of it," Mac said.

Connie hugged his arm. "I don't like this kind of stuff, and what was that out there at the woods?"

"I don't know. Something was chasing us. We couldn't see it because it was in the woods, and it was too dark to see them down there at the woods when they came out. All I wanted to do was get out of there."

"You can say that again," Billy said as he was trying the old keys in the lock of the shackle. "If none of these work, I guess we'll have to call a lock smith."

"You can't get a lock smith this time of night."

"Well, you may have to just wear it till tomorrow."

Billy tried what seemed like 100 keys and finally found one that opened the shackle. Mac rubbed his ankle, and felt relieved. "I sure am glad that's off," he said.

"I think I'll keep this and keep this key," Billy declared.

"What for?"

"Well, if old Sasquatch out there comes up here, I'm going to get this on him."

Mac rolled his eyes. "Are you sure they didn't hit you in the head?"

"I'm positive. You have to admit that you don't know what it was either."

"No, I don't but I don't think it's some mythical creature."

"You never know, Mac. You never know."

"What are you going to do with those three?"

"We're going to get them where they are supposed to be and that will be that. They were trespassing up there plus they were holding you and tried to kill you so I think that will be enough to keep them put away for quite a while."

"Good. I hope I never see them again. I want to get home and get some sleep. I want this mess taken care of by the time I get back in the morning."

"Yes, sir," Billy said.

Mac gave him a sideways look. "Don't get sarcastic with me," he said.

"Who's being sarcastic? If you can get James to call you sir, I guess I better do it too."

"I was just trying to teach him a little respect."

"I think you succeeded. He acts like he's in boot camp."

"I'll see you in the morning."

"Night."

Mac and Connie went out to the Avalanche. They looked toward the woods as they heard that loud, howling sound again. Mac looked at Billy who was still standing on the porch. He glanced at Mac and then walked on to the bunkhouse. Mac and Connie got into the truck and headed home. "Mac, what do you think that was?" Connie asked.

"I don't know, but I want to get home," Mac said.

"Me too. I'm just nervous about this whole situation."

"You're not the only one."

Mac drove home and parked in the garage and they went into the house through the garage door. Mac looked out the glass doors at the back of the house as Connie went on to the bedroom. He felt very eerie now, and could not help but wonder what was really going on out there. He was just glad he was not injured this time. He had to get a shower and get these wet clothes off.

Mac took a hot shower and when he got into the bedroom, Connie was already asleep. He thought maybe she finally tired herself out. He put on a t-shirt and pajama pants and got into the bed. He sighed as he relaxed and thought he would have no trouble getting to sleep tonight, but just as he was about to fall asleep, he heard something outside that chilled him to his bones. It was that loud howling sound, and he heard the growling too. Mac sat up and looked toward the window which was covered with a blind and curtains but there were three small windows at the top that they could see the sky. He could see the moon in the sky. Then he heard that howl again and it sounded even closer to the house.

Suddenly, Connie sat up. "Mac, what was that?" she asked sounding terrified.

Mac looked at her. "I don't know, but it sounds like whatever was up there at the ranch."

Connie gasped as they heard it again. "Shhhh," Mac hissed but he was about to get panicky himself. "Come on."

Connie got out of the bed and got into her clothes that she had laid on the end of the bed and got her shoes on. Mac did the same thing. "Where are we going?" she asked.

Mac was not sure what to do but he did not want to just sit here. He felt vulnerable. He got both his rifles and his other gun. He loaded them and gave one of the rifles to Connie. "Listen, if there's something out there, we shoot first and ask questions later," Mac said.

"Mac, I don't think I have ever been this scared," Connie replied.

Mac kissed her. "We'll be alright." He could see she was about to cry. "Don't cry. We have to concentrate on what we're doing. Okay? You have to be my tough girl."

Connie swallowed her fear and nodded. "I will."

"Good."

They walked down the hallway and heard the howling sound again. Mac stopped at the edge of the hallway, and the back glass windows were to his right from there. He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. He had a sudden thought that he wished Don were here. He could help him in this situation. Mac swallowed hard and then peered around the corner of the hallway and looked out the back windows. He could definitely see something out there in the yard, but it was dark in the house so he was sure whatever it was could not see them. He leaned against the wall again and looked at Connie.

"It's in the back yard," Mac whispered.

"Oh God," Connie whispered. "What is it?"

"I don't know. Just follow me."

Mac looked out again and then headed across the living room, and Connie followed him. She peered out the door as she went and she could see something large out there in the yard. She followed Mac down the basement stairs. Mac closed the door to the basement and locked it from inside. They went down into the basement which had another doorway that led out to the garage. They headed up those stairs and then went out into the garage where the truck was.

"Mac, what if they try to stop us?" Connie whispered as they were in the truck.

"I'm going to run over them," Mac replied. "You just get down and stay down until we get out of this yard."

"How did they get here, Mac?"

"I don't know, Honey, but right now, I want to get out of here."

"Mac, this is our home."

Mac looked at her as he put the key in the ignition. "I know, but I don't know what that is out there and I want you in a safe place."

"I think we should put some bullets through that basement window and let them know that this is our house and we're not going to let anyone drive us out of it."

Mac considered that. "What if they charge?" he asked. "We don't even know what we're dealing with."

"Mac, I don't believe in Sasquatch. I think we're dealing with some people who think they can scare us, and they're out there in our yard."

"I don't believe in Sasquatch either but if that's people out there, they're big."

"Let's just call someone and then go and shoot at them."

Mac took the key out of the ignition, although he was not sure this was the right decision. He put the key in his pocket and then got out of the truck and went down into the basement. The basement window was small and opened toward the inside. Mac knew that whoever or whatever was out there could not come through that window. He opened the window as quietly as he could and he and Connie looked out. "There they are," Mac whispered as he saw the two beings walking as though they were pacing back and forth. One of them howled again and the other one growled.

Mac aimed the rifle out the window so that it would shoot over their heads and then fired. He looked and saw that they were startled, and they were looking toward the basement now. He fired again, and they became agitated, and then howled and growled again. "Let me try," Connie said.

Mac moved and she stuck her rifle out the window. She fired and Mac heard a loud shriek, and the howl was even longer. Mac thought it would not stop but finally the shriek was replaced by almost a whimpering sound, and he looked to see the other one looking at a place on the wounded one's shoulder. "Mac, do you see what I see?" Connie whispered.

"Yes I do," Mac whispered.

As they watched, they saw the one that was not wounded lick the wound of the first one. "We better get out of here," Mac said. "Before they get angry."

They got out of the basement and into the Avalanche. This time, Mac opened the garage door and cranked the truck. He backed out and made sure he pressed the button that closed the door. As he was backing out of the driveway, the two creatures were coming around the side of the house. Connie screamed as she saw what speed they were moving with. Mac got the truck out of the driveway and spun out into the road. He pressed the gas all the way to the floor, and the creatures were coming after them with incredible speed but as Mac got up to 70 miles per hour, they left them behind.

"Mac, what are we going to do?" Connie asked in tears.

"Get on that phone and call Billy," Mac said.

Connie grabbed her phone and called Billy and told him what had happened. "You're joking," Billy said.

"No! I'm not!" Connie exclaimed. "Mac doesn't want to call the sheriff! They will think we're crazy!"

"Where are you now?"

"We're in the truck speeding away from the house! I don't know if they're still pursuing us or not!"

"Okay, just calm down. You guys come to the ranch and we and Mac will go back over there and see what's going on."

Connie relayed that message to Mac. Mac nodded. "We're on our way," he said.

Mac had been in scary situations but he had not been in anything like this. He had no idea what they had seen out there, but he would not say anything until someone else saw it.


	4. Chapter 4

When Mac and Connie arrived at the ranch, they got out of the truck and went into the house. Billy, Shawn, and Harold were there, along with James. Mac was almost embarrassed about this situation. He did not like running from trouble but he had not known what to do but leave the house because as big at those creatures looked from where he had been, they could have torn him to pieces.

"So, what do they look like?" Billy asked.

"It was pretty dark," Mac said. "We shot at them but it didn't phase them at all. They charged at us when we got in the truck and they were chasing us down the road."

"You couldn't see what they looked like?"

Connie looked at Mac and folded her arms. "Not really," Mac said.

"Mac, you know they looked like they were covered with hair," Connie declared.

"Connie…"

"Don't Connie me. You know what they looked like."

"I do not and I didn't want to get close enough to see either."

Just then they heard that blood-curdling howl and growl outside. "They followed us," Mac said.

"Why would they be following you?" Billy asked.

"I don't know but I'm about tired of this. They followed us home. Could this be someone trying to scare us?"

"If it is, they're doing a good job," Connie declared.

"You can say that again," James agreed. "They're doing a good job on all of us."

"Are we really going out there hunting those?" Mac asked.

"What do you suggest?" Billy asked. "I don't know anything else to do but try to relieve the problem."

"You mean kill them?" Connie asked. "You can't just go out there and kill them."

Billy sat down on the couch. "Then I guess you and Mac should go out there and talk to them."

Connie frowned and glared at him. "Don't get smart with me," she said.

"Now, hold on," Mac said. "Something has to be done about this."

They heard the howl again, and Mac went over to the window. He could see two silhouettes out in the field beyond the haystack. "They're out there," he said. "I don't know what they might be able to do if they charged at this house. It sure didn't do any good for her to shoot one of them."

"I didn't shoot it," Connie said. "I just grazed its shoulder. I thought maybe it would run away."

"You know what they say about a wounded bear."

"I don't think those are bears."

"I don't either, but until we know what it is, we can't just shoot it."

"I don't see why we can't," Billy said. "If something is threatening you like this, you ought to be able to protect yourself."

"I've heard people talking about things like this," James said. "A lot of people around here have talked about seeing Bigfoot. How do you know this is not Bigfoot?"

Mac shook his head. "I don't happen to believe in Bigfoot," he said. "This is all going on at the time that this other situation is going on. I think it's all connected."

"How do you know they didn't get into Bigfoot's territory and caused him to get angry and start terrorizing people to get them out of here?"

"Terrorizing is the right word," Mac said.

"You're right," Billy agreed. "But if that's human beings out there, how are they travelling from one place to the other so fast?"

"The same way we did…in a car."

"We've never heard of anything like this around here before."

"Sure haven't," Connie said.

They heard the howl and growl again but it sounded further away. Mac looked out the window and saw their predators heading for the woods. "They're leaving," he looked at the others. "Should we follow them? Maybe we can see where they're going and find out who's behind this."

Billy stood up. "I'm ready," he said.

Mac looked at Connie and started to say something. "Don't you even think about telling me to stay here," she said.

"Connie, you have to stay here," Mac replied. "You keep that phone handy in case we have to call you."

"And what am I supposed to do?"

"Stay here where there are more people, and where it has been safe so far."

"What a time for Johnny and Janie to be gone."

"I think maybe that's why all this is going on," Mac said. "They know they're gone and they think maybe they can scare the rest of us."

Mac, Billy, Shawn, and James went out the door and headed for the woods. "Are we walking?" Billy asked.

"I think I would rather walk than ride," Mac replied. "Those horses are more noticeable."

"Yeah, but they can run faster."

"I think if we see them up close, we'll be able to run pretty fast."

They tried to stay low as they went across the field and got close to the woods. Mac looked into the woods. He did not see or hear anything, so they went into the woods and walked slowly. There was what seemed to be a narrow trail through the woods that looked like it was well-used. Mac had never seen this trail before but then again, he had not been to this part of the woods before. This was the area out toward the front of the house, but they had come from the woods that were out from the side of the house.

Mac tried to be quiet as he moved through the woods, and the others with him were doing the same. They soon heard that howl that they had heard before, and they stopped a moment beside a tree. "You said people in this area have reported seeing Bigfoot?" Mac whispered.

Billy nodded. "Yes, they have, but it's been a while since anyone did."

"This has to be connected to that."

"I agree, but what is it about?"

"We're going to find out if we can."

They started moving through the woods again for about twenty minutes, and Mac heard a growl as they neared a clearing. He stopped as they could see what appeared to be a campfire in the clearing. He moved into the bushes that surrounded the clearing and so did the others. They peered into the clearing to see what was going on…

Mac frowned as he could see the two "creatures" they had been chasing…or who had been chasing them. One of them was sitting on a log beside the fire and one of the men in the clearing was looking at the wound on the creature's shoulder.

"I would never have thought they would shoot you," the man said.

Instead of talking, the creature made a sound something like a Wookie. Or at least that was all Mac could compare it to in his mind. He looked at Billy who was right beside him. Billy shrugged slightly. Mac figured Billy was wondering the same thing he was: why was this person not removing his costume if it was a costume? And why was he not talking?

The other creature let out a loud howl that sounded like one of anger to Mac. He thought this one must be female, and it had what looked like female parts as well. The other creature which was the male growled back at her and then said something in undiscernible language. Mac wondered what had been going on at that compound. He thought it must have been something more than just weapons development. He had to wonder how many people knew about this and what it was about. He wondered how much Billy and Shawn knew about this since they had infiltrated that compound. He looked at Billy again, this time with a more serious and questioning look. Billy just looked into the clearing, avoiding Mac's stare, and Mac knew he knew something about this. Mac could not believe what he was seeing. He felt like he was in some sort of science fiction movie.

Mac thought they better get out of there because he did not know what these people might do if they were discovered there. He did not want to go anywhere and tell someone about this because no one would believe it! However, he would not let these creatures keep terrorizing him and his wife. Why would they want to terrorize them? Mac wished he had never gone on that horseback ride that evening. Now he felt like he would never have peace with his wife. How could they raise a family like this?

Mac looked at the others and motioned for them to move, so they all moved away from the clearing to another clump of bushes. "What's going on around here?" Mac whispered. "Now, I know you know more than you're telling me, Billy."

"There are some things that I can't just tell everybody," Billy whispered.

"Well, I'll tell him," Shawn replied. "I'm about tired of this secret anyway, and I don't care if I do get booted out. He has a right to know."

Mac looked at Shawn. "Then tell me," he said.

"They were doing human experiments at that compound," Shawn declared. "That was why we had to get you out of there. The nerve cruncher was only the beginning. It was just to control you. They were building weapons but they used human guinea pigs to test them, and they would have used you too."

"And what does that have to do with these two…whatever they are?" Mac asked.

"A science experiment gone wrong."

"You mean to tell me those are human beings?"

Shawn nodded. "Then why are they harassing me?" Mac asked. "This has nothing to do with me."

"They're probably still under the control of the ones working for the boss," Shawn said. "He hates you, in case you didn't know it."

"I gathered that, but why?"

"Well, when you came in there, it all fell apart. I guess he thought you were working with the FBI."

"I'm going to have to be more careful where I ride."

"So what do you plan to do now?" Billy asked.

"Yes! What do you plan to do?"

Mac and the others whirled around and were looking into the barrels of four guns. "Just lay those guns down," one of the men said. "And move over here."

Mac felt like kicking himself but he laid his gun down as did the others. James moved closer to Mac and Mac could see that he was afraid. "Why don't you let him go?" Mac asked. "He has nothing to do with this."

"Are you kidding?" the man asked. "And let him go back and broadcast this? You must think we're stupid."

"I think you are!" Shawn declared. "Anybody who thinks they can get away with all this is pretty stupid in my book!"

Mac thought Shawn was just asking for it. "You shut your mouth," the man said.

"Make me!" Shawn said.

"Hold it!" Mac interrupted. He looked at Shawn. "Just cool it, will you?"

"You better listen to your leader, boy!" the other man said.

They led Mac and his team out of the bushes and down to the clearing. Mac dreaded this meeting but he did not see any way to get out of it. He just hoped that hairy beast would not just rip him to pieces. As they came out of the woods into the clearing, the two creatures lunged toward Mac in anger with their howling and growling. Mac backed up a step and thought seriously about running but the one who seemed to be in charge stopped them. "Just hold it!" he said.

Mac swallowed hard as he could see the anger in the eyes of the two beasts as they glared at him. The man walked over to Mac. "You're just no end of trouble, aren't you?" he asked.

"Apparently," Mac replied. "Just who are you?"

"The direct approach. Okay, my name is Mike. That's what you can call me, and I know your name is Mac Taylor. You've caused a lot of trouble around here. You know why they hate you?" he asked pointing to the creatures.

"Not really."

"We were trying to find a cure for them but you messed that up."

"I didn't make them that way. They should hate you instead of me."

The largest creature growled at Mac. "Your friends here are not on our good list either," Mike said. He walked up to Billy. "Traitors."

"I'm not a traitor because I was never on your side," Billy declared.

Mike frowned. "I think you might die first," he said. He looked at Shawn. "And this one next."

Shawn glared at him, and Mac could not help but admire Billy and Shawn's defiance even in the face of death. However, James was on his other side, and he could feel that James was trying to stay close to him. James was very young and had nothing to do with this situation. He had just tagged along. Mac wished he had not let James come along.

Mike and his helpers took Mac, Billy, Shawn, and James over to some trees and searched them for knives and weapons and then tied them to the trees. Mac watched as Mike seemed to be having an argument with the male creature and the female glared at Mac the whole time. Mac looked at James who was looking very scared. "You alright?" Mac whispered.

James looked at him. "Well, I guess I am except being tied to a tree," he whispered.

"I shouldn't have let you come with us."

"It's not your fault."

"James," Mac whispered. "I have a knife in my boot. If I can get my foot up beside your hand, get the knife."

"How?" James asked. "What if they see me?"

"We'll try to just make sure they don't."

James was not sure of this but he watched Mac move his foot slowly toward his hand. Mac watched their captors who were discussing something over around the fire. He hoped they would not see them. He wanted to help James escape and maybe he could get some help. He finally got his foot over close to James and bent his ankle sideways so the knife handle would be sticking out of the boot. James grabbed the knife and Mac got his foot back over where it should be. James watched as their captors talked and then looked at them. He knew they could not see the knife behind him but he stayed still.

Mac smelled coffee and realized Mike had put some coffee beside the fire to boil. Everyone else was sitting around and the female creature was tending to the wound of the male one and they were grunting and growling. Mac had never seen anything like this in all his years of life, and he wondered how these people got like this…or he wondered if they were just trying to make them believe they had accomplished that. He looked at James and nodded slightly. James began trying to cut the rope with the knife which he found was razor sharp. He wondered what would happen if he got loose and tried to run. Would they come after him?

"When you get loose, give me the knife," Mac whispered.

James cut slowly so that he would not draw attention to himself, and finally, he felt the rope pop in two. He just sat there still for a moment and then he looked at Mac. "You have to move fast," Mac whispered. "It'll be getting darker soon with the fire dying down and then you can move better without being seen."

"What if they catch me?" James asked.

"Give me the knife."

James moved his hand slowly and put the knife in Mac's hand, and he began working on his own ropes. James thought Mac was good at acting like he was doing nothing. He would have thought Mac was dozing if he did not know better, but soon, he knew that Mac's ropes were loose.

Mac passed the knife over to Shawn who was beside him. Mac realized that their captors were starting to lie down, and someone would be coming over there to check on them. "Run now, James," Mac whispered. "Get up and run!"

James froze for a moment, but then Mac looked at him with that demanding look. "Run!" he whispered even louder.

James sprang to his feet and was gone into the woods in a second. He heard someone yell, "Hey! One of them is loose!"

"Run, James, don't look back!" Mac yelled.

James kept running even though he heard yelling back there. He hoped Mac and the others would be okay, but he had to get back to the ranch. He had to concentrate on that…


	5. Chapter 5

As James ran out of the clearing, Mac sprang to his feet as their captors started that way. Mac knew he would have to stop them if he could and Shawn and Billy would help. He just hoped James would keep running and not look back. The two hairy creatures glared at Mac as they moved forward. Then suddenly, Billy and Shawn sprang to their feet. Billy tossed the knife back to Mac, and he realized they had their own, and they did not look one bit intimidated.

The knife Mac had was one that had a five inch blade and it was razor sharp so it would do some damage if he drove it home. He thought everyone around there was itching for a fight because none of them picked up their guns. He looked at the two creatures who looked like they wanted nothing more than to kill him.

"Look, I didn't do this to you," Mac said.

The male creature growled loudly at him. "You stopped the research that could have cured us," he said.

Mac was surprised that he talked. He thought it was like suddenly hearing Chewbacca talk rather than growl. "There are other researchers who can help you who aren't part of a criminal organization," he declared. "I'm a scientist myself!"

The female howled loudly at him and then lunged at him. Mac made a slicing motion with the knife and sliced the female's forearm. She howled even louder and then swung at Mac, but he ducked. However, the male creature grabbed his knife hand. Mac had never felt such a strong grip, but he grabbed the knife with his left hand and plunged it into the creature's side. Mac thought his eardrums would burst with the growl he heard next. He jerked the knife out as the male creature jerked his arm that he still held in his vice grip. Mac thought he would jerk it out of the socket but he plunged the knife in again but then he realized the female was coming at him again and he could see her claws. He jerked the knife out but then the male creature stomped his foot.

Mac had not time to think of pain because he had to keep his mind on staying alive. He sliced at the female's arm as she tried to slice him open with her claws but his right arm was still in the grip of the male, and he had forgotten about the male's other arm until it slammed against the side of his head. Mac felt like he had been hit by a baseball bat, and he fell flat on his butt as the male creature still had hold of his arm. He jerked Mac's arm backward and Mac yelled out with pain as he felt it wrench in the socket.

Suddenly, Mac felt the male release his arm, and then he heard a deafening growl and howl at the same time. He looked up to see that Billy and Shawn were taking up the fight. Mac held his shoulder as he tried to get up. He backed up a step to try and get his bearings as he watched the blood gushing, and then the male creature fell to the ground but the female was furious. She raked her claws across Billy's chest, and Mac could see blood coming forth from it. He ran up behind the female and plunged his blade into her back and she let out a blood-curdling scream and then she twisted and hit Mac on the side of his head opposite the side that the male creature had hit, but in her distraction, Billy and Shawn both stabbed her right in the chest and she was finally down.

Mac lay on the ground a moment feeling addled and his head felt like it was buzzing and his ears were ringing. He had time to think about his pain now. He thought that was always how it was…the pain set in when one got settled down and the adrenaline started wearing off. He heard the two creatures whining and moaning but he thought one of them sounded like a gurgle. He was sure they were dying. He did not have any bleeding injuries but his head sure did not feel good at all, and neither did his shoulder or foot.

Billy and Shawn got over to Mac. "You alright?" Shawn asked.

Mac looked at him. "I don't know," he said and looked at Billy. "Are you alright?"

"It's not as bad as it looks," Billy replied. "They were working you over. Are you sure you're alright?"

"No, but at least it's over." Mac looked around them. "How are we going to explain all this?"

"Don't worry about that."

Billy and Shawn got Mac up, and he groaned as his foot hurt. "Is it broken?" Shawn asked.

"I hope not," Mac said.

"Well, if it is, you can be the boss from the office," Billy remarked.

"Oh, thanks a lot."

They got Mac between them and started for the woods. As Mac walked, he was sure his foot was not broken, but it was surely bruised. "I hope I can get this boot off when we get back to the ranch," he said.

"I'm sure you can," Billy replied.

As they walked, they thought they heard something coming through the woods. "Oh no," Shawn said. "I hope that's not more of them."

Mac had to agree with that. He did not think he could fight anymore. "Maybe James made it back to the ranch and got some help."

"I think they're a little late," Billy said.

"Well, I guess it took him a while to get there and our fight didn't last very long."

"It seemed long."

"Don't I know it?"

They listened and could still hear whatever was coming through those woods. Billy had recovered his gun before he left that clearing and he got it ready. "Just be careful," Mac said. "It could be the others coming."

"I know that," Billy replied.

They waited anxiously and finally someone burst through the trees. Mac was completely startled until he saw Connie, James, and Harold. He relaxed then and thought he would have fallen to the ground if Billy and Shawn were not holding his arms, but he thought they almost fell themselves.

"Mac!" Connie exclaimed and ran to him.

"I'm alright," Mac said. "I'm just a little dizzy and sore." He saw that Connie was crying. "Hey, don't cry."

"I was afraid you were not coming back," Connie said.

Mac put his arms around her, even though his shoulder hurt. "I'm alright."

"You're not alright! Don't say you're alright when you're not!"

"Well, I will be. I just want to get out of here."

They walked back to the ranch, and Mac was glad when they arrived because he did not think he could walk any further. He thought Billy looked very pale. "You need to see a doctor about that," Mac said.

"I'll be alright," Billy assured him.

"What did I say?"

"Hey, he's even bossy when he's hurt," Shawn remarked.

Mac sat down on the couch and leaned back. He knew he needed to see a doctor too. He thought he might have a concussion. "Mac?" Connie said.

Mac could not seem to answer her. He felt incredibly sleepy, and the next thing he knew, he was smelling something terrible. He thought his stomach was going to heave at that smell. Then he heard someone say, "He's coming around."

Mac tried to move away from that smell but he could not. "Come on, wake up," someone said.

Mac finally got his eyes open and he pushed someone's hand out of his face. When his vision cleared, he realized that Dr. Free was holding smelling salts under his nose. "What happened?" he asked.

"You passed out!" Connie said.

Mac closed his eyes at the pounding in his head. "I think I'm going to be sick," he said. He groaned. "Oh, I know I am."

"Bucket!" someone said.

Mac threw up in a bucket that they had brought to him and then he realized his shoulder hurt. He shook his head and lay back down. He looked around him and saw Billy standing there along with Shawn, Harold, and James. "Well, you don't all have to stand over me like I need to be guarded," he said.

"You have a concussion," Dr. Free said as he was feeling of Mac's head. "You also have some torn ligaments in your shoulder and a very bruised foot."

"Oh, is that all?" Mac asked.

"Nothing seems to be broken."

"What about them?"

"Oh, well, Shawn there has a sprained wrist and Billy has some pretty deep scratches but other than that, they're bruised too."

Mac thought this place was full of sarcasm. "Well, is anybody going to tell me just what happened out there?" he asked.

"We got in a fight," Billy said. "We won but it sure wasn't any fun."

"Oh shut up. You know what I'm talking about."

Billy sat down and grimaced at his own pain. "It was just part of that mess we broke up," he said. "I called the right people. Don't worry, it will all be taken care of out there."

"Are you sure? They're not just going to let all that lay out there and rot, are they?"

"No. Everybody had been looking for those two. They wanted them alive, but we didn't have much choice in the matter."

"I understand that, but how did all this get started?"

"It's a long story, but you know a whole lot of it."

Mac closed his eyes. "Please tell me it's over now," he said. "I want to go home and relax in my house without anyone or anything bothering me."

"We put a big hole in it. I think everything is going to be quiet for a long time."

"Let's hope."

Dr. Free wrapped a bandage around Mac's head and bandaged up his shoulder and arm, but Mac did not want a bandage on his foot. He would just hobble on it. Connie sat beside him looking very young to Mac. He touched her face. "Now stop that worrying," he said.

"I love you, Mac, and I don't want you to get killed," Connie replied.

"I didn't get killed."

"You didn't this time, but what situation are you going to be in next time?"

Mac sighed. "I hope I'm not going to be in anymore situations," he said.

"You hope?"

Mac looked at her. "What does that mean? Are you regretting marrying me?"

"No. It's just that everything was so peaceful and good before and now it seems like chaos."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I thought we could have a good life together and it's just not like that."

"Maybe things will be different now."

Mac took her hand and kissed it. "We're going to fix our place the way we want it and we're going to be happy there," he said. "I promise."

"Why don't we get jobs somewhere else?" Connie asked.

"Now? I like working here."

"I do too…or I did, until my husband started being threatened, and beat up."

"I know, Baby, but things are going to be different."

"How do you know? I think you just sniff out trouble."

Mac frowned. "I wasn't trying to find trouble."

"Oh weren't you? You went out there after those two creatures. What do you call that?"

"I call it trying to solve a problem. What did you want me to do?"

"You've been a cop too long to just stay out of trouble."

"What are you saying?"

"I don't know. Maybe you should just get a job as a sheriff or something. At least you wouldn't be doing all this."

Mac stared at her a moment. "Connie, am I missing something? I don't want to get a job doing that. I didn't ask for all this."

"Yes, but you like it. You like getting into trouble and looking for the bad guy."

"I don't want to do that anymore. You know why I went after them."

"And you come back beat up and…"

"I thought you wanted me to go after them and find out what was going on."

"Would it have done any good to argue with you?"

Mac sighed. "I can't help what happened."

"You can't now but you could have before."

"How?"

"Because you could have stayed here and let someone else handle this situation."

"Connie, I didn't want to stay here and let someone else handle it."

"Exactly."

Mac sat up slowly and looked at her. "Are you sure you don't regret marrying me?"

"I already told you I'm not!"

"Well, there's something going on that you're not telling me. We're arguing."

"Yes, we are, and I'm done arguing with you."

Connie turned and walked out of the room. Mac just sat there a moment and then he got up and found that he could not walk across this room yet. Just then, the doctor walked in. "Sit down," he said and grabbed Mac's arm. "You should not be even sitting up, let alone walking."

"Where did Connie go?" Mac asked.

"She went through there."

"I want her to come back here."

"You lie down."

Mac lay down on the bed. "Will you please tell her to come back here?" he asked.

"You two were having an argument?" Dr. Free asked.

"Yes, but…well, that's none of your business."

"What if she doesn't want to come back in here?"

"Will you just tell her?"

"If you'll stay on that bed."

"Okay."

Mac waited while Dr. Free left the room, and soon Billy came in. He was moving slow and did not look like he was feeling very well either. "Why aren't you resting?" Mac asked.

"Just wanted to make sure you're okay," Billy said. "I saw them hit you in the head. I wondered how you were still conscious."

"I don't know. Adrenaline, I guess."

"It scared us pretty bad when you passed out in there on the sofa."

"Well, I'm alright now."

"Good. James is…" Billy smiled. "He's a little shook up."

"I guess he is, but he did okay."

"I'm just glad we got him out of there. We shouldn't have let him go."

"I know that now, but I didn't know we were going to get into a situation like that."

"I hope we never do again."

"Do you think it's over?"

"For now, and I think it will be over for quite a while."

"Billy, I want you to be honest with me," Mac said. "Were there any other experimental _accidents_?"

Billy looked down at the floor. "Yeah, but you won't be seeing any of them," he said.

Mac shook his head. "How did something like that happen?"

"Well, they were just below the radar, and when we found them, they had gotten that far."

"So what happened to the others?"

"That's not my department. Right now, we don't have to worry about that stuff and maybe we can go back to our normal lives."

"I hope so because…"

Billy looked at Mac, noticing the cut off of that sentence. "Because what?"

"Nothing."

Connie walked into the room and folded her arms. Billy looked at her and then Mac. "Well, I'll go get some rest," Billy said and left the room.

"What do you want?" Connie asked.

"You shouldn't walk out like that when we're having an argument," Mac said.

"I can if I want, and if I don't like what you're saying."

"Connie, we're not always going to agree about everything."

Connie rolled her eyes and waited for him to go on. Mac had never seen her act like this before. "Billy thinks this situation is over for now," he said. "We can get back to our lives."

"You can't do anything with all those injuries."

"Well, I know I can't do everything but I can walk around here and…well, I can ride the horse then."

"How bad does it hurt? Can't you just be honest?"

"I am always honest. Yeah, my foot hurts, and my shoulder hurts, and my head hurts, and I'm bruised almost all over but I'll live."

"You will, but one of these days you're going to get injured and you're not going to live."

"Connie…"

"Don't say anything. If you keep taking risks like that, you're not going to live long, and I'll be here alone again."

Mac just stared at her a moment. "Is that what this is about?" he asked. "You're afraid I'm going to die and you'll be a young widow?"

"That's what it would be."

"You knew how much older I was before you married me."

"I don't care how much older you are. I just want you to take care of yourself."

Mac frowned. "I know. I'm sorry. I can't go back and undo it."

Connie just stood there a moment and then went over to Mac and sat down on the side of the bed. Mac just waited for her to say something as he admired her pretty face. "I can't be mad at you," she said.

"Why?" Mac asked.

"Because I love you too much."

Mac wiped a tear off her face. "Connie, what's wrong?" he asked. "Is there something you're upset about?"

"No. I don't know what it is. I just…"

Connie lay her head on his chest and felt his arm around her. She looked at his right shoulder which was wrapped, and she knew it would be like that for a while. She propped up on her hands and kissed him. "I guess this is part of that sickness and health clause," she said.

"For better or worse?" Mac asked.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry if you're taking all the worse."

"Well, I don't think I'm taking all of it."

"Yeah, I saw a little temper in there," Mac said teasingly.

Connie could not help but smile. "What did you think of it?"

Mac smiled. "It was pretty sexy."

Connie laughed. "Mac."

"That little fire in those pretty eyes. I guess everybody needs to get mad once in a while."

"You didn't get mad."

"I was pretty mad a while ago in that fight." Mac touched her hair. "Why don't we convince that doctor that we're going home?"

"I don't think he wants you to get up," Connie said.

"Well, you can drive."

"I'll talk to him."

"Good."

Mac watched Connie leave the room wishing that he was twenty years younger. He thought they could really have a good time together if he was younger, but he was glad they were together anyway.

Connie soon came back into the room with the doctor. "I don't think you should leave right now," Dr. Free said. "I want to keep an eye on you over night."

Mac nodded. "Okay."

"I'm just a little worried about that concussion."

"How worried?"

"You're not out of danger yet so I want you to stay here so I can keep an eye on you. I have equipment with me, medicines and all. I can take care of you if something happens, but I don't think anything will if you lie here and stay quiet, and just rest."

"Okay."

Dr. Free left the room again and Mac looked at Connie. "Well, I guess we're staying here tonight," Mac said.

"I guess."

Connie got on the bed with Mac. "I love you," she said.

"I love you too."


	6. Chapter 6

It was October, and Mac Taylor was working on his own place now. He and Connie were only working part time at the ranch now because the harvest time was over and they were not needed full time anymore. Mac was well over his injuries now…except he had that trouble with remembering simple words sometimes again. It made him feel nervous but he was just glad he was working in a place where it was not so noticeable. It made him worry that he would develop Alzheimer's or dementia. He had of course had to let Connie know about it. He knew what he had to do to try and conquer it again and he had done some of the brain exercises but it was very difficult.

Today, Mac was cutting down trees. It had taken him several days to remember the name of a chainsaw. He could remember the name of the ax but he would not let Connie tell him the name of the chainsaw because he wanted to figure it out himself. Even though the weather was cool, and some of the time it was downright chilly, he still sweated like he was in a sauna. He thought the older a person got the more they sweated. He knew he did not sweat this much when he was young…except when he was going through puberty. He shook his head at that thought while he was wiping sweat off his forehead and face. He did not even like to think of how many years had passed since he went through puberty. He wondered if being married to Connie had stirred up all those hormones. He laughed at himself with that thought. "You're losing your mind, Taylor," he said to himself. He had to admit she had woke him up.

Mac drank some water and then went back to sawing down the next tree. The chainsaw definitely made a lot of noise but he could not chop all these trees down with an ax. He supposed he could have had someone come and chop them down for him but he wanted to do it himself. It gave him something to do. He wanted to be busy rather than thinking about things that worried him. They had not heard any about "the boss" or any of his minions, nor any more about those creatures they had killed out there in the woods. He wished it had not come to that but if they had not killed them, they would have killed them, so they did not have a choice. He had tried to reason with them but they were angry and wanted to kill him.

Connie was at the house. She walked out on the back porch of the house and shaded her eyes as she looked out toward the area where Mac was. She could hear the chainsaw so she knew he was still sawing down trees. She had helped him a little but she had things to do around the house too. She thought Mac liked doing that work anyway. He had seemed even excited about clearing his own land. She loved his excitement about fixing their place the way they wanted it. He intended to fence in that area out there and make a pasture for cattle, and he intended to plant a garden next summer too. It was all exciting but she knew it was hard work too.

Connie went back into the house and just looked around the living room and smiled. She loved her house but she felt like they had not spent much time here until now because they had worked so much when they first got married. Mac had promised to take her to New York one day to let her see the city, but now they were embarking on a task that would take up most of their time.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Connie went to the door and opened it. She was surprised at who was at the door. "Don Flack," she said.

"Hi," Don said. "I told Mac I was going to come and help him clear his land so here I am."

"Is he expecting you?"

"Well, he thought I was coming next week but I got off a little earlier than I thought I would."

"I'm sure he'll be glad to see you. He's out there cutting trees now. Do you have any luggage?"

"I rented a place. I didn't want to put you guys out."

"Oh you wouldn't be putting us out."

"I didn't want to stay in your house that long."

"How long are you staying?"

Don felt like he was in interrogation. "I'm not sure."

"Okay, well, you can go out there where Mac is if you want," Connie said. "He's out there in that stand of trees. You'll be able to hear the chainsaw."

"I heard it when I got out of the car. Can I use your bathroom before I go out there?"

"Sure. You know where it is."

"Thanks."

Don went to the bathroom and then went out the back door. He looked out toward the stand of trees and he could definitely hear the chainsaw. He smiled and took in a deep breath. It was a long walk but he did not mind it.

Mac finished cutting down another tree and watched as it fell. He wiped sweat off his forehead again. "Working up a sweat huh?"

Mac looked around to see Don standing at the edge of the trees. "Don, when did you get here?" he asked.

"Just a few minutes ago," Don said. "Connie told me you were down here."

Mac shook Don's hand. "I thought you were coming next week."

"Well, it just worked out this way."

"You staying at the house?"

"No. I rented myself a place for a while until I…"

Mac looked at him. "Until what?" he asked.

"Until I decide what I'm going to do."

Mac just stared at him a moment. "What do you mean?"

"I quit."

Mac was surprised to hear that. "You quit? Why?"

"Just cause I don't want to do it anymore."

Mac swiped at some more sweat on his forehead. "Well, I guess we all come to our time of change," he said.

"I guess so," Don agreed. "I just got to feeling like I was caught up in a whirlwind and I couldn't get out, but then I realized I could get out."

"So what are you going to do?"

Don shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't decided that yet. Right now, I want to help you."

"I can sure use some help," Mac said. "I only have one chainsaw out here but I do have another one out there at the barn. I'll be going to eat lunch in a while and we can get the other one then."

Don nodded. "Great. So what are you going to do out here?"

Mac looked out across the place. "I'm going to raise some cattle out here and we're going to raise a garden. I don't know what else."

"At least you have a plan and a dream."

Mac glanced at Don. "You can have one too, Don."

Mac went over to another tree. "You think you can handle this thing?" he asked.

Don smiled. "A lot better than an ax."

"Aw, you're just lazy."

Don laughed and walked over to Mac. "Give me that thing, old man."

"Hey, now, don't be calling me an old man. I'll get me one of these limbs over here."

"So how do you crank this thing?"

"Well, isn't it obvious?"

"Yeah."

Don grabbed the pully and found that it was not hard to crank the chainsaw. It was not too hard to figure out how to use it either. He had used a chainsaw before but not many times. However, he sawed down the tree while Mac watched. Don knew why Mac was sweating now. It took a lot of pressure on that tree to cut through it. The chainsaw did not do all the work.

When Don had the tree cut down, Mac cut all the limbs off of it and then cut it into logs and they piled it onto the wagon with the rest of the logs Mac had cut. "So, are you stocking up for the winter?" Don asked as he threw a log onto the pile.

"Yep," Mac answered. "If there's one thing you have to have around here, it's firewood."

"This will be your first winter here, won't it?"

"Yes, but I've survived harsh winters before in Chicago and New York."

"Yeah, so have I."

Mac leaned on the wagon and looked at Don. "Don, what are you doing over here?" he asked. "Why did you quit your job and come over here?"

"I think I'm beginning to know how you felt when you decided to leave," Don said. "Everybody acts like you're committing a crime."

"That's not what I mean. I mean, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, you mean here with you."

"Right."

"Because, like I told you before, you're like a father to me, and I didn't feel at home in New York anymore without you there."

Mac had been afraid that was the reason that Don left his job. "Don, you can't try to pattern your life after mine."

"Why not?"

Mac looked at him a little surprised. "Because you have to do what is best for you, that's why."

"And what's best for me? Anything that's not similar to you?"

"Don. You quit a good job and now you're here with nothing."

"You did too. You have nothing to say. I didn't want to do that job anymore. You should understand that."

"I just don't want you to regret what you're doing."

"I won't. Now, are you going to keep lecturing me or are we doing to work?"

Mac shook his head. "Okay, that's the end of the lectures," he said. "I did what I wanted, and you can do the same."

"How many days have you been clearing trees?"

"I started yesterday." Mac pointed. "You see that mountain?"

Don looked toward the mountain Mac was pointing to and could see that the top of it was obscured by what looked like a thick cloud. "That's snow," Mac said.

Don looked at him. "Snow, huh?"

"Yes. And that means I have to get busy and get as much done as I can because there will probably be days during the winter that I won't be able to be out here because of the cold and snow."

"So, how long do you think it will be before that starts coming down here?"

"Not long. It'll be rain for a while when it comes down the mountain but up there it's colder."

They got back to work, and at lunch time, they headed for the house. Mac brushed sawdust off his clothes as he was driving the wagon. "Connie doesn't like for me to come in the house with sawdust all over me," he said.

Don smiled. "I guess that means me too," he said as he started brushing at the sawdust on his own clothes.

"She's very particular with that house."

"I guess she's proud of it."

Mac nodded. "I am too."

They arrived at the house and Mac left his boots outside since they were muddy. Don did the same thing and they went into the house.

"Well, it's about time you got here," Connie said with her hands on her hips.

"Were you expecting us sooner?" Mac asked.

"I thought you would probably be here at twelve."

"We were busy with that tree out there and I brought a load of firewood. We'll unload it after lunch."

"Well, sit down there while this food is still warm," Connie said.

Mac took his coat off and washed his hands. "I think I better drink some more water," he said. "I've sweated enough to be ten people."

"He was really huffing when I got out there," Don remarked.

"Shut up."

Don laughed as he washed his own hands. Connie smiled at Mac as he came to the table. "What?" Mac asked. He looked at Don. "Now you've got here thinking that I was laboring out there."

Connie and Mac sat down, and then Don came to the table. "Quit holding up my lunch," Mac said. "Sit down."

"Hey, I'm trying," Don replied.

"You two just never stop, do you?" Connie asked.

"Nah."

Mac said grace over the food and then they started eating. "It's rough cutting down trees like that," Mac said.

"What are you going to do about the stumps?" Don asked.

"Blow them out."

Don looked at him. "_Blow_?"

"Yeah, like with dynamite."

"So, you're going to set dynamite out there and blow them out of the ground? Is that legal?"

"If you get a permit it is."

"Oh."

"What? Do you think I can hide the fact that I'm blowing something up?"

"Probably not."

When they were done eating, Don got his coat back on and went out to get his boots back on. Mac started to put his coat on, but Connie grabbed him and pushed him against the wall. "You didn't kiss me," she said.

"Well, we have company," Mac replied.

"He's outside now."

Mac smiled and then grabbed her in a tight embrace. They shared a long kiss. "You think that will last you until this evening?" he asked.

"Maybe," Connie said. "I may bring you something to drink later."

"Good. I'm sweating like a hound dog out there."

Connie kissed him again and then Mac went out the door as he was putting his jacket coat on. He got his boots back on and then he and Don unloaded the firewood. "This is hard work," Don said as he laid a log on the wood pile.

"It sure is," Mac replied.

When they were done with that, they went back out to the trees that they were clearing on the wagon, and they took the other chainsaw with them this time so they could both work at the same time. As the afternoon wore on, Mac thought they were making some pretty good progress. He would have to start blasting the stumps once they got this stand of trees cut but he figured they would be cutting for several more days.

Mac stopped a moment to wipe sweat again after he had cut down four more trees. "So, what kind of job are you getting?" he asked.

"Oh I don't know," Don replied. "You reckon they need a deputy at the sheriff's office?"

"I thought you were tired of being a cop."

"I don't know. I'm just tired of…I don't know."

Mac nodded. He knew what he meant. He was tired of the monotony of his life. Mac had definitely escaped his monotony. Today he was cutting trees, tomorrow he would be at the ranch helping to bail hay. He had slung bales of hay but he had not actually baled them. However, the tractor did most of the work. But once it was out of the baler, he would be slinging it onto a wagon. It was definitely work.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Mac and Connie were up early, and Mac had invited Don to come and work at the ranch after he asked Janie about it. She had told him that they would find a job for Don. Mac smiled as he imagined what that job would probably be.

Connie was standing at the stove cooking breakfast when Mac came into the kitchen. "Morning," he said.

"Morning," Connie replied without looking at him.

Mac looked at her as he poured a cup of coffee. "You alright this morning?"

"I just don't want to go to the ranch."

"Why? I thought you liked working there."

"I do but…I just want to stay home today."

Mac walked over to her. He lifted her chin and looked at her. "What's the matter?" he asked.

"I just don't feel like working," Connie said.

Mac saw a tear run down her cheek. "Honey, what's the matter?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"Yes, there is. You're crying."

Connie wiped that tear away and looked into Mac's eyes. "I just…I don't know. Sometimes women just want to cry."

"Why?"

"Well, it certainly doesn't have anything to do with you."

"If you're crying, I want to know what's wrong. You're my wife."

"You can't explain something when you don't even know yourself."

Connie moved over to the stove and took the sausage out of the pan and put it on their plates. Mac wondered if she was upset with him about something. "Did I do something that made you mad?" he asked.

"Mac, I told you that this has nothing to do with you."

"Well, you act like you're mad at me."

"No, I'm not."

Connie got their breakfast plates and went to the table. "Are you coming to eat or not?" she asked.

Mac just stood there a moment and then went to the table. He looked at Connie as he sat down. "You know, you can talk to me about anything," he said.

Connie looked at him and he could see just a little bit of anger in her eyes now. "I told you," she said.

"Are you staying home today?"

"I don't think she really needs me there."

"Well, they do need me. I have to go."

"I'm not telling you to stay here. Don't you ever want some time alone? I believe that's what you came out here for."

Mac thought he could not say the right thing so he just started eating. He would stop trying to talk to her. She seemed very irritable this morning. She was not usually like this. As a matter of fact, he did not remember seeing her like this before at all. He thought maybe he would have to stop and get some roses on the way home today.

Connie did not know why she felt the way she did either. She just felt aggravated at Mac for no reason. That was why she wanted to stay home today. She just wanted him to go to work and let her be away from him.

When Mac was done eating, he brushed his teeth and then put his coat on. He looked at Connie who was in the kitchen washing the dishes. "Well, I'm gonna go," he said.

Connie walked over to him and gave him a quick kiss. "I hope you have a good day," she said as she was walking back to the kitchen.

Mac frowned but he was not going to talk to her about it anymore. "See you this evening." He went out to the garage and cranked the Avalanche. He was trying to think of what he did to make her angry but he could not think of anything. He was glad she had a car now so she would not be stuck here. He hoped maybe she would go to town and enjoy herself today.

Connie watched as Mac backed out of the driveway and then she burst into tears as he drove away. She did not know why she felt the way she did, and she was taking it out on her sweet husband. She supposed he would worry about it all day…but then again, he would be busy all day. She figured he would not even think of her since he would be working with Don again. Don seemed to think Mac was like a father to him, and she thought Mac enjoyed having that sort of relationship. He certainly never said anything about wanting to have a baby with her so he could have a real son or daughter. Connie thought she had to get out of the house today and do something fun.

Mac drove to the ranch and parked his Avalanche in the usual place. "Morning, Mac," Johnny said as Mac walked up to the porch.

"Morning," Mac replied.

"You don't sound very enthusiastic this morning."

Mac looked at Johnny, and realized he was letting his worry show. "Sorry. I guess I'm a little preoccupied this morning."

"Not trouble in paradise, is it?"

"No. Uh, Connie didn't feel like coming in this morning. She's…"

"I understand." Johnny sipped his coffee. "You better tell Janie that she won't be here."

Mac nodded and went into the house. He did not think he wanted to talk to any more irritable people this morning. He walked into the office where Janie was. "Good morning, Mac," she said.

"Morning," Mac replied.

"Something wrong this morning?"

"Connie didn't feel like coming in. She stayed home."

"Well, it was nice of her to give me notice."

"She's not feeling well this morning."

"She sick?"

Mac scowled. "No, she's just…upset."

"What have you done?" Janie asked.

"I don't know. I've been trying to figure that out."

"Well, the next time she wants a day off, she better tell me or I'll be letting Brandy work in her place."

Mac nodded. "Don will be here this morning. Maybe he can take up the slack."

"In the kitchen?"

Mac thought no matter what he did this morning, he said the wrong thing. "No, I guess not," he said. He walked out of the office wondering if the rest of this day was going to be miserable. He thought maybe when they got out there to the hay field things would be better.

Mac sat down on the porch swing and just thought, trying to figure out what was upsetting Connie. He had worked on the trees all day the day before, and the day before that, they had worked at the ranch. Maybe he should take her out to eat tonight. Maybe she was feeling neglected or in a rut. He had to admit they had been settled down a lot, or maybe she thought he was bored with her. That was far from the truth but she had been so touchy in the last few days, he did not know whether to even kiss her or not. But this morning was even worse.

Soon, Don arrived at the ranch. "Morning, Mac," he said.

"Morning," Mac replied.

"It's a cool morning."

"Yeah."

Don did not think Mac sounded very enthusiastic this morning. "I guess I have to see your boss to find out what my job is today," he said.

Mac nodded. "Yeah. Johnny will get you busy."

Mac put on his gloves and chaps to get ready for the job he would be doing today. Don scowled as he walked up to the house. He thought Mac looked a little depressed this morning. They did not have time to talk about anything right now though.

Mac got on the wagon that went out to the hay field. He frowned as he thought about Connie's mood. "Hey, Mac," Billy said.

Mac looked at him. "What?"

"You sure are quiet this morning."

"I'm just thinking."

"It's going to be a long day."

"Yeah."

They finally arrived at the field, and Billy started up the tractor to cut the hay. Mac leaned on the wagon while he waited. The hay had to be cut first and then baled. Shawn was there too. "You alright this morning?" Shawn asked.

"Yeah," Mac said. "I guess I'm just thinking."

"Must be deep thinking. I haven't seen you this quiet in months."

"Connie's upset about something. I've been trying to think of what I did. Did anything happen here day before yesterday?"

"Not that I know of. I was out with the cattle all day that day."

"I guess she's just mad at me for some reason."

"Well, I know it's not the same thing, but I've had my sister mad at me and I didn't know a thing that I did either."

"What happened?"

"Nothing. She finally got over it."

"Wow. I thought I knew a little about women."

Shawn adjusted his hat on his head. "I doubt it."

"Thanks a lot."

After Billy cut the whole wheat field, he changed the tractor attachment and then began baling. "Well, I guess we have to get busy now," Shawn said as he was putting his gloves on.

"Yeah," Mac replied.

They moved the wagon over into the field and began picking up the bales of hay as Billy was baling them. Mac slung a bale of hay onto the wagon. He liked the fact that he was stronger now than he used to be. He did not think he could have slung that bale of hay up there like that a few months ago, although he had slung hay before. He knew he was stronger now than he used to be. He took his coat off and laid it in the seat of the wagon. He thought he sweated enough without wearing that coat.

Shawn took his own coat off. "What's it like being married, Mac?" he asked.

Mac scowled at that as he picked up another bale. "Well, sometimes it's confusing, but most of the time it's wonderful. Why?"

"Just wondering. I've been thinking maybe I should ask Brandy to marry me."

"You been dating Brandy?"

"Yeah. We've been going out pretty steady lately."

"You think you love her?"

Shawn was silent a moment as he considered that. "Yeah, I think I love her," he said. "I know I do."

"Does she love you?"

"You ask the hard questions, don't you?"

"Questions that need to be asked. Have you told her you love her?"

Shawn put a bale of hay onto the wagon. "Actually, I've hem-hawed around and haven't really said it," he admitted.

Mac shook his head as he chuckled. "You're going to ask a woman to marry you and you haven't even told her you love her?"

"Well, I thought I would tell her when I ask her. I do love her."

"Then tell her."

"We could have a long engagement."

"Shawn, there's one thing I know…women like to be told. If you can't even say it, that's not a very open relationship."

Shawn sighed. "You think I'm not ready, huh?"

"I'm not expert, but if you can't say you love her, you're not letting her know your feelings."

"She hasn't told me either," Shawn said.

"Maybe she's waiting for you."

"Did you tell Connie first?"

Mac stopped and looked at Shawn. "I think my situation was a little different than yours. I didn't even want to be in a relationship but she showed me that I needed her."

"And she told you first?"

"Yeah, but when I realized it, I told her."

"Right. So you think I'm a coward."

Mac laughed at that as he threw a bale of hay onto the wagon. "Yeah, I do," he said.

"Thanks a lot," Shawn said. "How should I tell her?"

Mac wiped sweat off his forehead. He remembered when he told Christine. He had realized it when he saw Lindsay forgive Danny for causing her to have blue circles around her eyes. He knew it was true love and he realized that he loved Christine too. "I think you should just walk up to her and just tell her," he said. "Don't hem-haw around, just say it."

"Is that how you did it with Connie?"

Mac nodded. "Yeah. I just told her. I was sitting in my truck and she was standing there on the step and…it just hit me so I said it."

"Just like that, huh?"

"Yeah, just like that."

Mac threw another hay bale onto the wagon. His thoughts went back to Connie. He still wondered what she was upset about. He could not imagine what it could be but he had made up his mind that when lunchtime came, he would call her and tell her that they were going out tonight and eat. He would just try to be romantic tonight. Maybe he had not been romantic enough and maybe she was just upset about that. He would try to fix that tonight.

When lunchtime came, Mac, Billy, and Shawn went to the house and unloaded the hay bales that they had on the wagon. Mac went to the outhouse and washed his hands. He dried his face and hands and then went outside. He took his phone out and called Connie. He waited and the voicemail message came on. He wondered why Connie was not answering. He left a message on her phone to call him when she had time. He ended the call and wondered why she did not answer. Was she that angry at him? He hoped nothing was wrong, and now he was really worried about her.

Don came up to the porch and just looked at Mac a moment. "Why did I let you talk me into this?" he asked.

"What?" Mac asked.

"Do you know what I have been doing all morning?"

"What?"

"Cleaning out chicken houses."

Mac almost laughed but he was too worried about Connie to feel much like laughing. Don noticed that Mac looked worried. "Something wrong?" Don asked.

"I tried to call Connie and she didn't answer," Mac said.

"You think something's wrong?"

Mac thought about that a moment. "I'll just try it again," he said. He dialed Connie's number again and waited to see if she would answer.

"Hello," Connie answered.

"Hey, I was wondering why you didn't answer a few minutes ago."

"I just didn't feel like answering."

"Did you get my message?"

"I did."

"Honey, I called to ask you if you'd like to go out tonight and eat, have some fun?"

"No. I would rather just stay home."

Mac frowned, and he was beginning to think nothing he could do would help this situation. "Connie, I'm sorry for whatever I did…"

"I thought I already told you that you didn't do anything," Connie said.

"Well, I'm just worried about this. I don't know what to say or do. You get mad at me if I say anything."

Connie almost started crying. "You can just stop worrying," she said.

"Honey, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Mac."

Mac could hear that she was crying now. "Connie, do you want me to come home?"

"No. I just need some time to myself."

"Are you having some kind of…problem? If you are, you can tell me. You can go to the doctor."

"I'm not."

"You're just emotional?"

"I guess."

"Listen, Connie, tonight I want to take you out and have some fun. I think we're in a rut and I want to get us out of it. Let me take you out."

"Okay. If that's what you want to do."

"Well, of course it's what I want to do. It's been a while since we went out. We've been working hard and it's time we had some fun."

"Okay. I'll try to be ready when you get here."

"I'll see you when I get home. I love you."

"I love you too, Mac."

Mac could hear that she was still crying, and he heard the call end. He walked back to the porch where Don was. "Is everything okay?" Don asked.

Mac shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "She just doesn't seem happy. I'm going to take her out tonight."

Don nodded. "She'll probably enjoy that."

Janie came out on the porch to ring the dinner bell. "Well, we're halfway through another day," she said and clanged the dinner triangle.

Mac and Don went into the house and ate dinner. As Mac was going out the door, Janie called to him. "Mac, I want to talk to you," she said.

Mac went to the office. Janie sat down behind her desk. "Is everything alright with you and Connie?" she asked.

"Yes, she's…I don't know what's wrong," Mac said. "I'm going to take her out to have some fun tonight."

"That may be the answer. You two have been working a lot lately."

Mac nodded. "I guess I've been taking it for granted that she was content with the way things are."

Janie smiled. "Well, Mac, I think it might be a little more than that, but I guess she'll have to figure that out and tell you."

Mac scowled. "What are you talking about? What could it be?"

"I think the two of you will figure it out soon."

"But you're not going to tell me what you think it is?"

"No. Just take some time off and spend some time with her. You two can come back in next Monday."

"Are you telling me to go now?" Mac asked.

"Are you kidding? You get out there and finish that hay."

Mac smiled and nodded. "Okay."

"And make sure you really have fun tonight."

"I will."


	8. Chapter 8

That evening, Mac left the ranch and headed home at about 4:30. He was tired but he would take Connie out anyway. He stopped in Dubois which was the town they lived at and bought a dozen roses. He drove home and left the Avalanche in the driveway since they would be going out later. He went into the house.

"Honey, I'm home!" Mac called.

Connie came into the living room from the hallway. She saw the dozen roses in Mac's hand and she burst into tears. Mac walked over to her. "Sweetheart, don't cry," he said.

Connie put her arms around his neck and he held her. "I've been so mean to you," she sobbed.

"No you haven't."

"Yes, I have. I made you feel like this was your fault and made you worry all day."

Mac held her tightly to him. "I love you, Connie. I know you're upset but…" He pushed her up and looked at her as he wiped tears off her face. "We're going to go out tonight and have a lot of fun. You hear me?"

Connie looked into Mac's beautiful eyes and nodded. "Okay."

Mac gave her the roses. "Now, put those in some water, and I'm going to get a shower and we're going to forget about working and clearing this land and all that, and we're going to have fun."

"I'm sorry I've been so mean to you," Connie said as she started crying again.

Mac lifted her chin. "No more of that," he said. He kissed her and stroked her hair. "Forget that."

Connie took a deep breath and tried to smile but when she thought of trying to smile all she wanted to do was cry. Mac kissed her again. "No more tears," he said.

Connie could not help but smile then. "Now, that's better," Mac said. "I'm going to get my shower now."

Mac went down the hall. Connie looked at the roses he had brought and smelled of them. She cried as she looked at them and thought of how much she loved Mac and how much he loved her. She hurried over to the kitchen and put the roses in a vase and then she went to the bedroom.

Mac was in the shower enjoying the feeling of the water. He was very tired and very dirty but he was going to take Connie out and have a good time no matter how tired he was. He was good and soapy when he saw the curtain being pulled aside and Connie stepped into the shower. Mac stopped what he was doing and she stepped over to him and kissed him. "I better rinse or I'll just slide right out of your arms," Mac said.

Connie could not help but laugh. She watched as he rinsed and the water ran down over him. "Working on a ranch sure does do you good," she said.

Mac slung the water off his face and looked at her. "What?"

Connie ran her hand up his chest. "You're so sexy."

"So are you."

"I just thought maybe we could have sex before we go out."

"I think we could fit it in."

Connie smiled and kissed him. "I really am sorry."

"Apology accepted. Now, please don't apologize again."

Mac buried his hands in her hair and kissed her deeply. He was so glad that she was feeling better, he thought he was not feeling so tired anymore.

Connie got out of the shower first. She thought they had been in there an hour. She put a towel around her and stood in front of the mirror to look at her hair. She thought she wanted to curl her hair tonight. It was definitely not very curly but if she rolled it on a curling iron or hot rollers, it would be curly.

Soon, Mac got out of the shower. He dried himself and put a towel around him too. He looked in the mirror at his bristly face. "I guess I better shave," he said.

Connie smiled as she was rolling a strand of her hair onto a roller. "I think you should."

Mac moved over to her. "I don't think it bothered you in that shower," he said in her ear.

"No, I definitely wasn't bothered."

Mac smiled and moved back over to the other sink. There were two sinks in the vanity. He ran some hot water in the sink. "So, where do you want to go tonight?" he asked. "Do you want to dress up or be casual?"

"I want to dress up and look pretty," Connie said.

"Oh, you'll look pretty no matter what you wear."

"You know what I mean."

"Yes, I know you would think I was beautiful no matter what."

"See? You're learning."

Connie giggled at that. Mac watched her rolling her hair up a moment and then he began his process of shaving. When she had her hair rolled up, she went into the closet to decide what she would wear. She wanted to wear a pretty dress tonight. She held her red dress in front of her and looked in the mirror. She was not sure she wanted to wear red. She held her blue dress in front of her. She walked into the bathroom with the two dresses. "Which do you like better?" she asked.

Mac looked at her and looked at the dresses. "I don't know," he said.

Connie held the red one in front of her and then the blue one. "Do you like me in red better or blue?"

Mac smiled. "Honey, whichever one you wear, I will like it."

"Mac, that is not what I asked."  
Mac looked at the dresses again. "The…red one."

"Men always pick red, don't they?"

"Oh, I don't know. I like the blue one too. Are you wanting to wear the blue one? If you do, that is fine with me."

"And I thought I was indecisive."

Mac smiled and continued his shaving. "It's up to you."

Connie went back into the closet and looked at the dresses again. She did not think she wanted to wear red. Red was more associated with "sexy" than just pretty. She wanted to just feel pretty so she took the blue one into the bedroom. It was a sleeveless dress, but it had wide straps on it that lay over her shoulders, and was form-fitting down to the waist and then had a wider tail to her knees. He wondered if she should wear boots with it. She could wear blue ones or white ones with this dress. She put the dress on and went into the bathroom to fix her hair. She looked at Mac. "Are you disappointed?" she asked.

Mac looked at her. "Absolutely not," he said. He smiled at that look on her face that made her look incredibly young. It still made him very nervous sometimes when he thought of how much older he was.

Connie brushed her teeth and then put on her makeup. She did not like much makeup but she wore a little. Then she took her hair down from the rollers. Mac smiled as he saw her bouncy curls. He finished what he was doing and went into the closet himself. He was not sure what he wanted to wear but he would wear a suit tonight. He pulled out his blue shirt which was royal blue like the blue dress Connie was wearing. He had not worn a suit since he moved here. He had been working and being rugged. He took out his black suit and went into the bedroom. He got dressed and went through the closet and picked up a tie as he went back to the bathroom. "How's this?" he asked.

Connie smiled. "Very good," she said. "Your eyes look so blue when you wear that shirt."

Mac smiled. "Yeah, I can fool people that way."

"Not me."

"Mmmm, that's because we're always staring into each other's eyes."

Connie could not help but giggle. She could not believe she had felt so sad that morning and now she felt so happy. She finished her hair and then looked at him with a "come hither" look. "Do you like it?" she asked.

Mac looked at her a moment. "I love it."

Connie smiled and then went into the bedroom. Mac was trying to get his tie fixed. He hated worrying with a tie but he was going to wear one tonight. He finally got it fixed and then looked in the mirror. "Well, this is as good as it gets," he said and went into the bedroom.

Connie was putting on a pair of blue heels. "I decided to leave the boots behind tonight," she said. She stood up and looked at Mac. "I guess I'm ready."

"Me too," Mac replied. "I guess we can get going."

Connie got her white shawl and they went out to the Avalanche. "And this truck is just the finishing touch," Connie said.

Mac smiled as he held her hand while she got in. He went around and got in and then they were off. Connie moved over to the middle of the seat and leaned on Mac's shoulder. "I'm glad we're going out," she said.

"I'm glad you're feeling better," Mac said.

"The funny thing is that I don't even know why I was feeling that way."

"Well, let's just forget that and go have a good time together. We're going to eat a fine dinner at the Wilderness Boundary Restaurant and then we're going…somewhere else."

Connie smiled. "You're not going to let me know?"

"Not yet. I want you to be surprised."

Mac arrived at the restaurant and they went inside. He smiled when he heard that there was country music playing in there. He told the hostess what name their reservation was under. "Come with me," she said.

Mac and Connie followed her over to a table. "This place smells wonderful," Connie said. "I'm starting to get very hungry."

"Me too," Mac replied.

The waitress gave them both a menu. Mac looked at the menu and his mouth almost watered at just reading the words. "I tell you, I am going to get a steak tonight," he said. "I have heard that they have the best steaks you can eat here."

Connie leaned over to him. "You heard right," she said. "They will melt in your mouth."

"Mmmm, don't say stuff like that."

"Why?"

"Makes me even hungrier."

The waitress soon came back and took their orders and then brought their drinks to the table. Mac sipped his soda and looked at Connie. "Are you glad we're out?" he asked.

"Yes," Connie replied. "I'm having a good time."

Soon, their food arrived. Mac thought that steak looked so good. As they were eating, Mac looked out the window at the sunset that was turning the mountains to orange. "Just look at that," he said. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing that."

Connie looked out the window. "I know I won't."

"You think we'll just stay where we are living for the rest of our lives or do you think we'll be restless and move somewhere else?"

Connie looked at Mac. "You're not happy where we live?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm very happy. I'm happier than I have been in years. I'm just talking."

"Well, I think we'll be there for a very long time. I love my house."

"I'm glad you do."

"Don't you love it?"

"Yes. It's a great place, and I think when I get all that land cleared and get everything started, it will be even better."

"I think it will too."

"Do you think you want to further your education?"

Connie was surprised by that question. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, you have an Associate's degree. I thought maybe you would like to go on to the next."

"Oh, Mac, I have everything I want."

"Connie, are you sure you want to work on a ranch all your life? You could have your own business."

"No thank you. I just want to get our ranch going and manage it myself."

"You wouldn't want to own your own business?"

"No. There are too many things that can go wrong."

"I guess you're right."

"Do you miss being in charge?" Connie asked.

Mac smiled as he considered that a moment. "I think so…sometimes, but not all the time."

"Don't worry. You'll be in charge of your own ranch eventually. Maybe we'll even have to hire hands to work on it."

Mac shook his head with amusement. "I don't know if I want it to come to that. I just want us to be able to raise our food and be happy."

"Me too."

They were silent a moment as they ate. Mac definitely agreed that this was the best steak he had ever eaten. He wondered what other types of food they had at this restaurant. He had not thoroughly looked over the menu since he could smell that meat cooking. He looked at Connie and still wondered why she had been so upset. He scowled as he thought of what Janie said. He did not know what she meant. She thought the two of them would figure it out together. Mac stopped chewing as he what Janie might have meant. He swallowed and looked at Connie.

Connie noticed the bewildered look on Mac's face. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," Mac said and took another bite of his food.

Connie smiled. "Mac Taylor, something is wrong. What is it? What are you thinking about?"

"Just something that Janie said today."

"What did she say? Was she mad because I wasn't there today?"

"She was a little upset."

"Well, what did she say?"

"She wanted to know why you weren't there, and I told her you didn't feel like being there and you were upset this morning."

"And what did she say?"

Mac scowled. "She said we would figure it out soon," he said. He looked at Connie. "What does that mean?"

Connie looked at Mac and then her smile faded into a look of surprise. "You mean she thinks…"

"Thinks what?" Mac asked.

"I don't know."

Connie sipped her drink again, and Mac went back to eating. He knew they both knew what Janie meant. He was not sure he wanted to talk about that, but then again, not talking about it would not make it untrue. He looked at Connie. "Well, do you think…do you think you're pregnant?"

Connie looked at him. "I don't know. I never thought of it."

"Well, we know it's certainly possible."

"I think this is a little scary."

"Why?"

"Well, we've only been married a few months."

"That doesn't matter."

Connie thought about that and then she could not help but smile. She looked at Mac. "Won't it be wonderful if I am?" she asked.

Mac nodded. "Yes, it will," he replied. He was not sure how to feel. "How do you feel happy and scared all at the same time?"

"I don't know, but I feel it, and so excited."

"Me too."

"Oh, Mac, it didn't even cross my mind that that could be what it was."

"Mine either, but Connie…" Mac looked at her. "Let's not get too excited. We don't know for sure yet."

Connie nodded. "Right," she said. "We have to stay calm. I guess I could go to the doctor tomorrow and find out?"

Mac thought about that. "Why don't we get a pregnancy test tonight and just go home?"

"You mean and skip our fun time?"

"Honey, I don't think anything in the world could be better than this."

Connie smiled. "You're right, but where were we going?"

"I was gonna take you to a dance."

"Oh, that sounds like fun."

"We'll go if you want to."

"I think I would rather go home like you said. I just want to be with you."

"Me too."

They finished eating and then went to the store and bought a pregnancy test. Mac felt very nervous as they were on their way home. He supposed this would be the biggest news he had ever gotten in his whole life…if it was true. They did not even know yet, but he could not keep his excitement down. He knew Connie was excited too. He looked at her. "Are you nervous?" he asked.

"Yes, I am. I think I want to go and see my mother tomorrow."

Mac nodded. "I'll take you there and I'll go to work…if that's alright."

"Oh, I don't know what I want right now. I'm overwhelmed. I've always wanted to be a mother and now…I just feel so happy and excited and scared."

"Well, we'll find out in a little while."

Connie smiled as she looked at the road ahead of them. She had never needed a pregnancy test until now. She hugged Mac's arm. She knew he would take care of her and be there for her through the whole thing. It was comforting, and took some of the scariness away.


	9. Chapter 9

When Mac and Connie got home, Mac pulled the truck into the garage and they went into the house. Connie stopped in the kitchen. "I think I want something to drink," she said.

"I'll just take a bottle of water," Mac replied.

Connie got two bottles of water and they went into the bedroom. They stood there and looked at each other a moment. "I feel like our honeymoon again," she said.

"I think I do too."

Connie took the pregnancy test from the bag and took a deep breath. "I guess I should get busy."

"I'll just wait in here."

"Well, you can come in there with me if you want."

"I don't see what I can do."

"Just be there?"

"If you want me to."

"I do."

Mac followed her into the bathroom and almost laughed at himself. "What's so funny?" Connie asked.

"I'm just thinking that I'm feeling like a young person again," Mac said.

"Oh really?"

They set the pregnancy test up and then went into the bedroom. "How long does it take?" Mac asked.

"Well, it doesn't take long," Connie replied. "Just a few minutes."

"I don't think I was this nervous on our honeymoon."

"I was."

Mac took off his suit jacket and his tie and took them into the closet. He hung them up and then took off his shirt and pants too. He put on a pair of shorts and left his shoes in the closet too. When he walked out into the bedroom, Connie was not in there. "Is it ready?" he asked.

"I'm looking," Connie said.

Mac waited and Connie finally came from the bathroom with the test in her hand. Mac waited to see what she would say. Connie looked into his eyes. "It's negative," she said.

Mac's smiled faded. He was not sure what to say but then Connie burst into tears. He grabbed her in a hug. "Don't cry, Honey," he said. "Just because it says negative doesn't mean you're not pregnant."

Connie looked up at him. "Then what does it mean?" she asked.

"Maybe it's too early for the test to show, and even if you're not, that doesn't mean we can't make a baby."

"But I was so excited, and we missed the dance for this."

"Look, we can get to the dance if that's what you want to do."

Connie just looked at him a moment and he waited to see what she would say. She thought about the dance, and she looked at the bed. She knew they would have gotten in that bed if she had been pregnant, but they could always do that after the dance. She looked at Mac. "I want to go," she said.

"Let's get ready then," Mac replied. "I can put my suit back on."

"No. I want you to wear your western outfit."

"Okay."

Mac went into the closet to find his western shirt and jeans. Connie came into the closet as he was taking off the shorts he had on. She pulled off her dress and hung it up. "I'm wearing something else too," she said as she pulled her pink western shirt out and white pants.

Mac smiled as he pulled on his jeans. "You'll be the most beautiful woman there," he said.

Connie smiled and then she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. "Now, come on," Mac said. "Let's get dressed."

"Okay, but when we get home, your body is mine," Connie said.

"Yes, Ma'am."

Connie laughed and then got her clothes on. Mac sat on the bed and put his boots on. He smiled as he thought of how much fun it would be to dance, but his smile faded. As nervous as he had been about her being pregnant, he had to admit, he was disappointed when that test came back negative. All kinds of thoughts went through his mind when he was thinking of it and they were all good.

Connie came out of the bathroom dressed and ready. She put her hat on. "Are you coming or not?" she asked.

Mac smiled. "I am," he replied. He put his own hat on and they headed out. He grabbed his leather jacket and so did Connie. It was getting colder in the mountains especially at night.

Mac drove to the place where the dance was going on, which was a barn similar to the one they had their first barn dance in. They walked in and Connie smiled as she felt excited about the whole thing. "Oh, Mac, this is going to be so much fun!" she said.

"I agree," Mac replied.

They did square dances and line dances and Mac could not believe he had been tired earlier. He felt like he had all the energy in the world. He supposed Connie made him feel young. She definitely had plenty of energy.

When the dance was over, they got a milk shake and then headed home. "Oh, this was so much fun!" Connie said. "I'm so glad we came to the dance."

"Me too," Mac said. "It was surely fun."

Mac drove home and they went into the house. Mac yawned as he walked to the bedroom. He thought all that work he did today and all that dancing was starting to get to him. He just dropped his clothes in the floor and put on some pajamas. He crawled into the bed and soon Connie came in there. She saw that Mac was already asleep and she knew he must be very tired. He had worked all day and she had done nothing but lie around and cry a lot of the day. She was still not sure why she had felt the way she did. She thought maybe it was because of being married or something. She went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. She thought she had definitely changed since she got married, and she knew her body had changed. She wondered if maybe that was why she was having all these emotions. She thought she wanted to go and spend the day with her mother and talk to her about the whole thing.

Connie got ready for bed and went into the bedroom. She turned the light out and snuggled up to Mac's back, but he turned over and put his arms around her. She thought he would wake up but he kept on sleeping so she just lay there in his arms and warmth. It made her feel safe and happy. She listened to Mac's breathing and she finally got sleepy too.

The next morning, Mac woke up early like he always did. He looked at his watch. It was about 4 am like usual. He would go to work today and take Connie to her mother's house. He thought she needed to spend a day with her mother and talk to her about things. He stretched and then Connie put her arms around him. "Are you going to work today?" she asked.

"Yeah," Mac said. "You're going to your mother's right?"

"Yes. I think I want to."

"Okay." Mac kissed her on the forehead. "Are you feeling better this morning?"

"I think so." Connie sat up and looked at him. "You're so good to me. You didn't even get mad at me."

"Why would I get mad at you?"

"Well, I talked awful to you."

Mac shook his head. "I knew you were upset about something."

Connie kissed him. "Get up and I'll fix your breakfast."

"You don't have to. I can eat at the ranch."

"No. I want to."

"Okay."

Connie got up and went to the bathroom and then hurried into the kitchen. Mac got into his jeans after he got a shower. He supposed he worked on one of the only jobs that one could wear jeans. He put on a t-shirt and plaid shirt today. It would not be very warm today and he would need a sleeve. Before he was dressed, he could smell the breakfast cooking. It made him realize how hungry he was.

Connie was standing at the stove when Mac walked into the kitchen. He put his arms around her and kissed her neck. "Oh, you smell good," she said.

"That breakfast smells good too," Mac replied. He took a deep breath and smelled that fresh bacon. "I'm getting me a cup of coffee."

"Pour me one too."

Mac went to the coffee maker and poured himself a cup of coffee and got one for Connie too. "I wonder what I'll be doing on the ranch today," he said.

"Maybe they'll send you out to the herd. Those baby calves are growing, you know."

"Yeah. I noticed them the other day. They're almost as big as the grown cows already."

"It's amazing how fast they grow. But you know what, they may put you to disking."

Mac looked at her as he stirred the sugar and milk into his coffee. "Disking? I've never disked a garden."

"You know how to drive the tractor. I'm sure Billy will teach you how to do it."

"I'm sure he will if they send me to do that."

"I know those fields need to be disked up for next year. It has to be done before the snow falls."

"I don't mind learning how to do it."

Soon, their breakfast was ready and they sat down at the table. Connie looked across the table at Mac. "Are you disappointed that I wasn't pregnant, or glad?" she asked.

Mac looked at her. "I was disappointed," he said. "Thinking that you were just made me feel a joy I haven't ever felt before."

"Me too."

"Are you sure you don't want us to spend the day together? We could concentrate on making a baby."

Connie smiled as she looked down at her plate. "I guess it would be fun," she said.

"But if you want to go see your mother, we can always do it tonight," Mac said. He watched her to see what she would decide.

Connie finally looked at him again. "What do you think it will be like to be parents?"

Mac thought about that a moment. "I think it will be scary, and fun, and wonderful all at the same time."

"I do think I want to go and talk to Mother."

"Okay. I'll pick you up tonight when I get off work."

"Okay."

When they were done eating, Connie got ready and then Mac drove to her parents' house. She kissed Mac and then got out. "I'll see you this evening," she said.

"I love you," Mac said.

"I love you too."

Mac headed for the ranch for a long day's work. He hoped Connie would feel better after spending a whole day with her mother. He wanted her to feel happy. He thought she probably needed a day away from him.

Connie went into her parents' house. Her mother, who was feeling much better from her illness she had been through before, was in the kitchen. "Morning, Mother," Connie said.

"Good morning," Nancy replied.

Connie hugged her mother. "What are you doing here?" Nancy asked. "Not that I'm not glad to see you."

Connie's smile faded slightly. "I wanted to spend a day with you so we can talk."

Nancy looked at her. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, I don't know."

"You're not having a squabble with Mac are you?"

"OH, no, Mother. Mac is so…he's so sweet. I talked awful to him and he didn't even get mad at me."

Nancy stopped what she was doing and looked at Connie. "And just why did you talk awful to your husband?" she asked in a motherly way.

"That's the thing…I don't even know why. He thought maybe I should come and spend the day with you and talk things out with you."

"So he suggested this?"

"Yes. He thought maybe I needed to be with my mother."

"Well, that was awfully sweet."

"Mom, there's a lot of things I need to talk to you about," Connie said.

"I have all day, Dear. I'm not doing anything today. Your father will be out working and we can talk all you want."

"Good."

Mac drove to the ranch and locked it up as he got out. He walked up on the porch and shivered as he could even see his breath this morning. He went into the ranch house where everyone was still eating breakfast. "Morning," Mac said as he rubbed his hands together and felt the warmth of the house because of the fireplace.

"Morning," Johnny said. "I thought you weren't coming today."

"Well, things changed. I want to work."

"Alright then. We have a lot to do, but I think it's supposed to rain later today so we won't get a whole day in."

"I'll do all I can."

"Why don't you have a cup of coffee?"

"I might as well," Mac said. He got a cup of coffee and sat down at the table where Johnny, Billy, Shawn, Karl, Harold, and James were. "So, is this the bunch today?"

"Yep," Johnny said. "We're going to be disking and a few other things today."

"Disking?"

"Yes."

"Connie said you might be doing that today."

"You think you can handle it?"

"I think I can handle anything. I've learned more in the last few months on this ranch than I would have thought I could."

"I think you're going to do well with your own ranch, Mac. You're one of the fastest learners I've ever had on this farm."

"I try."

When they were done with breakfast, Mac was out to the field that once had corn in it. Billy was with him. "You ever disked a field?" Billy asked.

"No," Mac said.

"Well, the main idea is going in a straight line and making sure you don't skip any."

"I guess I'm just out here to observe."

"Are you kidding? You're out here to learn." Billy got up on the tractor which was one of those large ones that had a cab, and even had room for Mac. "Get up here."

Mac got up into the tractor. Billy showed him how to operate the tractor which was different than most Mac had ever seen. He also showed him how to disk the field and make sure he was getting deep enough with the disk. Mac would have thought it would not be that complicated, but he found that it was.

Connie sat at the table with her mother. Nancy sipped her coffee and looked at Connie who was looking down at the table. "So, what's the big issue?" Nancy asked.

Connie looked at her mother. "Well, yesterday morning, I couldn't do anything but cry and I was so angry at Mac…and I didn't even know why. He even apologized thinking he had done something and that made me even angrier. I cried almost all day while he was at work, and then when he came home, he brought roses." Connie sighed. "Then we went out and had dinner…"

Nancy waited for her to go on. "Is that it?" she asked.

"No. We talked about how I felt and…we bought a pregnancy test."

Nancy's mouth almost dropped open. "You mean you're pregnant?" she asked.

Connie frowned. "It was negative," she said.

"Oh. And you were disappointed?"

Connie nodded. "I think Mac was too. It just felt so exciting thinking that we were going to have a baby, and then it was negative."

"That doesn't mean you won't get pregnant if that's what the both of you want."

"I want to have a baby, Mother. I've always wanted to be a mother, and Mac would be a wonderful father."

"I'm sure he would. Does he want to be a father?"

"I think so. He said we would have a baby."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I don't even know. I just feel so…I don't even know how to explain it, Mom. Why would I be so angry at Mac?"

"Oh, Connie, women go through things with hormones and they can lash out at whoever is available."

"I've never been this way before."

"You weren't married before. Your body definitely changes but it will settle down and for a few years, you'll be fine, and then when you get forty, just look out."

Connie laughed as her mother laughed. "Forty?"

"Oh my. The forties are the worst."

"I always thought the teenage years were the worst."

"That's a picnic according to the forties. So many changes going on."

"Well, I'm still a long way from that."

"It will be here before you know it, Dear. Just enjoy everything now."

"I am enjoying it, Mother."

Mac was learning how to drive the tractor and stay in a straight line which was more difficult than driving a car. He supposed that had a little to do with going over that soft dirt. He could definitely smell that fresh dirt when it was turned.

When they got that field disked, they went on to the next. Mac thought it was easy to do this work although it required thinking. He knew he had settled down in his thinking since he moved here except it took a lot of thought to get this work done right. He was usually so busy he did not have much time for thinking about anything else, and he thought that was a good thing for him. He thought maybe some of the things that troubled him so much before were not as much of his focus as before.

As Mac walked into the house for lunch, he yawned. He thought going to that dance the night before had worn him out. He had certainly had no trouble sleeping after that. Not only was he tired, but he was hungry too, but at least it was not boiling hot outside. It had not been boiling hot all summer, but working made one feel hotter than they would if they were just out there strolling around.

Mac sat down at the table and rubbed his face. "Wake up!" Billy said and slapped Mac on the back.

Mac just looked at him as he sat down. "Don't bother me," he said.

"Aw, don't tell me you're already tired."

"I don't know whether I'm extremely tired or just hungry."

Billy leaned over to Mac. "Connie must be keeping you awake all night," he whispered.

Mac looked at him with a scowl. "Well, if she is, it's none of your business," he declared. "No offense."

"I'm sorry. I was just trying to make a joke."

"Alright."

"You're a little testy today. Something wrong?"

"No. Not really."

Billy sipped his drink. "Sometimes I wish I was married," he said. "But I think a woman needs stability and I don't think I can give that."

"Why?" Mac asked. "You can if that's what you want to do."

"Yeah, but I work all the time, and I'm running out on cases sometimes too."

"In my experience, women can handle a lot more than you think. If they love you, they appreciate what you're doing."

"You really think so?"

"Sure. My first wife put up with being second to my job." Mac shook his head. "I wish I hadn't thought that job was so important now. Christine put up with having only a few minutes here and there and the phone ringing every time I started to kiss her almost."

"And now you have Connie."

Mac nodded. "She loves me and I love her," he said. "I know I'm around a whole lot more with her. I don't want my life to be like it was before."

"You make it sound easy, and you make it look easy."

"It's easier than being alone."

Billy thought about that. "You might be right."

"For me, I am right."

Mac looked at Billy. "You got someone in mind?" he asked.

"No," Billy said. "There was a girl once, and I just thought she would be better off with someone else. I broke her heart and mine too, but with my job…"

Mac shook his head. "And you never met anyone else?"

"No, and she's still single too."

"And you're still thinking about her? How long ago was this?"

"About ten years ago."

Mac was surprised by that. "Ten years?"

"Yeah."

"What are you waiting for? Until you're both too old to enjoy it?"

Billy looked at Mac. "You really think she would give me the time of day now?" he asked.

"Only one way to find out. All she can do is tell you to get out of her sight."

"Why does that seem so scary?"

"Rejection, I guess."

Just then, Johnny walked in. "Well, I see you two are ready for lunch," he said. "Looks like that rain is about to get here."

"So, we won't be disking anymore fields today?" Billy asked.

"Probably not, but I'll have some other things for you to do."

"Like what?"

"Hey, we have to clean those stalls in there, and those chicken houses."

"Right."

"Those chicken houses get even dirtier during the winter months when the chickens have to stay in and don't go out much."

"I wonder if we're going to have a harsh winter," Mac said.

"We could. I guess we just have to wait and see what happens."

"I'm no stranger to harsh winters. There were some really bad ones in Chicago, and New York too."

"We get a lot of snow in the mountains but most of the time, we don't get a whole lot down here, but you never know."

The dinner was soon on the table and they began eating. Mac thought he would miss this if he could not eat some of it every day. He supposed he would be working a lot of the time during the winter because someone had to take care of the cattle and all the other animals. There were even turnip greens growing out there in one of the fields. They would be picked after the frost fell. Of course, he and Connie would be working on their own ranch too. He just hoped Connie would be feeling better soon.


	10. Chapter 10

Mac yawned as he got into the Avalanche that evening. It was definitely raining. He sighed as he sat down in the seat. He was very tired today but he would got and pick Connie up and he would build a big fire in their house this evening. He arrived at Connie's parents' house and got out of the truck.

As Mac was walking toward the house, Connie came out with a big smile. She ran and hugged him. "I'm so glad you're back," she said and then kissed him.

"Well, you sure do look happy this evening," Mac replied as he pushed her hair out of her face. "You need to get your hair cut?"

Connie smiled. "Maybe."

"Did you have fun with your mother?"

"Yes, and I'm so glad you brought me here."

Mac put his arm around her and they went into the house. Arthur was in the living room. "For a while there, I thought you brought her back," Arthur said jokingly.

"Oh no, I'm not gonna bring her back," Mac said.

Connie smiled. "He can't do without me."

"I sure can't."

"And I can't do without you either."

"Okay, you two," Arthur said. "I didn't know I was starting something."

Mac laughed and sat down on the couch. He sighed. "I am tired," he said. "I cleaned out three chicken houses today and cleaned out horse stalls too."

"You two can stay for supper if you want."

"I think I want to just go home."

Nancy came into the living room with an apron on. "Good evening, Mac," she said.

"Evening, Ma'am," Mac replied.

"When are you ever going to stop calling me 'Ma'am'?"

Mac smiled. "It's purely out of respect."

"Are you staying for supper?"

"I don't think so unless Connie just wants to. I'm really tired."

"Well, she's been here all day so I think she's probably ready to go too."

Connie soon came from the kitchen. "You're ready to go?" she asked.

"Yes," Mac said. "I'm tired."

Mac and Connie were soon on their way home. "So, what did you and your mother talk about?" Mac asked.

Connie folded her arms. "I'm not telling you what all we talked about?"

"Why? I'm your husband."

"Doesn't matter. I talked to her about woman stuff."

Mac smiled. "Okay then. Do I get to know a little of this woman stuff?"

"You would never understand it. But the next time I get mad at you for no reason…just ignore me."

"I don't think I can do that. I love you too much."

Connie hugged his arm. "How did I ever get you?" she asked.

"Well, you started telling me I looked sexy in those chaps, and then you…"

"Oh, never mind that. You were living in New York. You were the head of the crime lab, and you end up here in Wyoming and married to me. It had to be fate."

"Well, it probably was. I guess God just looked down and said I think I'll give that old man a good woman."

Connie laughed. "He might have said that He would just give that young woman the sweetest man on the planet."

"Maybe He just said both."

They both laughed. "I guess it is kind of amazing how we came to be together," Mac said. "So many circumstances that could have been different, and then I wouldn't be here at all."

"It is amazing, that's for sure."

Mac was glad when they got home. He headed straight for the bedroom. He thought he would have skipped that shower if he had not sweated some today even in the cool weather. Connie could hear the water running in the shower as she came into the bedroom. She wondered if Mac would be as tired tonight as he had been the night before. She went into the closet and took off her boots and then got undressed. She thought maybe she would go in there and get into the shower with him, but as she started out of the closet door, Mac was coming in. "Oh, I didn't know you were in there," Mac said.

"Did I startle you?" Connie asked.

"Just a little."

Mac looked up and down her as she stood there in her underwear. "Nice," he said and tried to get around her as she tried to grab at his towel he had around his waist.

Connie grabbed the towel as Mac's back was to her. "Mmm, mmm," she said.

Mac turned around and walked over to her. "Are you wanting to get fresh in this closet?" he asked.

Connie put her arms around his neck. "Yes."

Mac chuckled at that. "That was a quick answer."

They stared into each other's eyes a moment. "You ready to be a mother?" Mac asked.

"Are you ready to be a father?" Connie asked.

Mac picked her up. "I am." He carried her to the bed and laid her on it and turned the light out. "I think we can have a lot of fun doing this."

Connie giggled as Mac got into the bed. "I think we can too."

Mac lay down on his back. "OH, I think I'm too tired," he said.

"Mac Taylor!"

Mac laughed as she hit him with a pillow. "Are you going to beat me up now?" He grabbed her and rolled over on top. "Now I've got you." He tickled her as she squealed and then kissed her.

"Mac, I love you."

"I love you too, Connie."

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A month later, which was November, Connie bought herself another pregnancy test while Mac was at work. They had been trying every night and she hoped this time they had succeeded, and she thought they had. It made her nervous to think about having a baby but it made her happy at the same time.

That evening, Mac yawned as he came into the house, and he shivered. He walked over to the fireplace. "It sure is cold out there," he said as Connie came into the living room.

Connie smiled and kissed him. "I'm glad you're home," she said.

"I sure am tired today." Mac took off his coat and cloves and hung the coat on the coat rack. "How was your day?"

"Oh, it was quiet and wonderful," Connie said.

Mac looked out the back windows at the mountains that had snow on them now. "Why was it so wonderful?" he asked.

Connie stood beside the kitchen counter and did not say anything. Mac looked around at her when she did not answer him, and she was just standing and staring at him. "What's the matter?" he asked.

"I guess I might as well just tell you. I did a pregnancy test today. I just couldn't wait."

Mac waited for her to go on. "And?"

"It was positive this time!"

Mac felt like he was glued to the floor for a moment, but then he went over to her and grabbed her in a big hug that swept her off her feet. Connie laughed as Mac whirled her around. He set her down and looked at her. He was not sure what to say so he just kissed her. Then he kissed her cheek, jaw, and neck, and then her lips again. "I don't even know what to say," he said.

Connie smiled. "Are you happy?"

"Are you kidding? So, how far along do you think it is?"  
"I don't know. It can't be much."

"So, you need a doctor."

"Yes, but I want a gynecologist, not Doctor Free."

"Do you have anyone in mind?"

Connie shook her head. "I'm sure your mother will know someone," Mac said.

"I'm sure she will," Connie replied.

Mac ran his fingers through her hair that seemed to have grown a lot during the hot summer. He kissed her again. "I don't think I'm hungry for supper," he said. "Just think, this little person will be part of me and part of you."

Connie smiled. "It's overwhelming, isn't it?"

Mac nodded. "Let's make love," he whispered.

"Right here?"

"Yeah."

"Wait!" Connie ran to the linen closet and got a comforter and a blanket. She laid the comforter in front of the fireplace and laid the blanket on top.

Mac smiled and walked over to her. "Good idea." He sat down on the couch and took off his boots. "Oh, that's relief just to take those off."

They were soon under the blanket together. Mac looked down into Connie's face. "So beautiful," he said.

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The next morning, Mac heard the doorbell ring in his sleep but he thought he was dreaming. Then Connie shook him. "Mac, someone's at the door," she whispered. "Wake up."

Mac took a deep breath. "What time is it?" he asked.

"Mac, wake up. Someone's at the door."

Mac opened his eyes and looked at his watch. "Four in the morning? Who is here at this hour?"

"Just get up."

Connie got up and ran down the hallway. Mac got up and got into his pants. He hated pants without underwear but whoever was at the door was ringing the doorbell again. "I'm coming!" he said.

Mac went to the door and looked out to see that Don was at the door. He opened the door. "Don, what are you doing here?" He noticed that Don had tears in his eyes. "Don?"

"I thought I wouldn't make it here," Don said and fell into Mac's arm.

"Don!" Mac got him into the house and shoved the door closed. "Connie! Call nine-one-one!"

Connie came running in there and gasped as she saw Don on the floor. She grabbed the phone and called for an ambulance.

Mac held Don in his arms as he sat in the floor, and he realized Don had blood on his back. "What happened to you?" Mac asked. He knew he had not seen Don in a while.

Don swallowed hard and looked up into Mac's face. "I prayed that I would make it here," he said. "If I have to die, I want to be with someone who cares about me."

"Now, don't you talk like that!" Mac said. "Tell me what happened!"

Don leaned his head against Mac's chest. "I took a job with the sheriff's office," he said. "I was on a drug bust…or it would have been one. They saw through me."

Connie came over to them and knelt beside Don. "The ambulance is coming," she said.

"Don, how did you get involved in something like that?" Mac asked. "I thought you were giving up that life."

"I guess once you've been in the cesspool of violence, you just can't get out of it."

"You just hold on. Did they shoot you?"

Don nodded. He had his eyes closed. "Mac, the key is…stuffed animals."

Mac scowled. "What?"

"Just remember stuffed animals, Mac."

Don's body relaxed. "Don!" Mac yelled. "Don!" He laid him down on the floor and felt for a pulse. "Don, don't you give up!" Mac started CPR.

Connie was in shock. She had not known Don long but she felt like he was her friend. She watched as Mac pressed on Don's chest and then she could hear the ambulance coming. "Don, come on!" Mac yelled.

Connie could see that Mac was starting to cry now but she did not know if it was doing any good for Don that he was doing CPR. She ran to the door and opened it as the ambulance arrived in the yard.

The paramedics came into the house and started their own work on Don. Mac backed up and sat on his knees as he watched them trying to save Don's life. Soon, the sheriff was there too. Don was soon on a stretcher going out to the ambulance.

"What happened?" the sheriff asked.

Mac looked at him. "I don't know, but I know he almost died right here in my living room," he declared. "He said he was on a case, and he said he was working for you!"

"Me? I haven't hired any detectives."

"He said he was working for the sheriff's office."

"Not mine. He may be working for Sublette or Teton County."

"Well, I'm going to find out."

Mac looked at Connie with a determined look as he went to the bedroom. Connie looked at the sheriff. "He just knocked on our door and that's all we know," she said.

"He knows you folks?"

"Yes. He worked for Mac when they were in New York."

"Oh. I'll have to have some statements from you and your husband."

"I'm sure he'll give you one."

Mac soon came back from the bedroom dressed in a blue plaid shirt and jeans. He grabbed his leather jacket. "Mac, where are you going?" Connie asked.

"I'm going down to the hospital to see about Don first," Mac said. "And then I'm going to get some answers."

"Mac, please be careful."

"I will. You just don't worry." Mac kissed her and then went out the door.

Connie folded her arms as she felt like crying. She knew Mac would get involved in this situation and he would not stay out of it until he found out who almost killed his friend. Connie just hoped Don would be okay.

Mac arrived at the hospital and found the sheriff was there also. "Have they told you anything?" Mac asked.

"All I know is that it doesn't look good," the sheriff said.

Mac just stared at him a moment. He could not bear the thought of Don dying after he came over here. "How many times was he shot?" he asked.

"From what I gathered, it was at least three."

Mac frowned. He did not understand why Don did not have on a bulletproof vest but he did not know all the details about this situation either. He would find out…that was for sure.


	11. Chapter 11

Three hours later, the doctor who was caring for Don came out to the waiting room. Mac hurried over to him. "How is Don?" he asked.

"I'm Doctor Thesson. He's in bad shape. He was shot four times and there was extensive damage. We patched him up as well as possible for now, but he will have to have more surgeries when he's stronger. He's in a coma right now."

Mac sighed. "Can I see him?"

"He won't know you're there."

"It doesn't matter. I just want to see him. I'm the only friend he has here."

The doctor nodded. "Wait just a few minutes and then you can see him."

The doctor left and Mac paced back and forth. The sheriff came over to him. "I'm sorry about your friend," he said. "But the more you can tell me about this, the better I can help."

"I don't know anything," Mac said. "All I know is what I told you, except for one little bit of information he told me that I don't know what it meant."

"What's that?"

Mac shook his head. "I think I should keep that to myself right now."

"Why? It might help us find out who did this to him."

"I have to find out what department he was working for."

"Are you a cop?"

Mac looked at him. "I was a detective in New York for over fifteen years. I was the head of the crime lab for twelve of those years."

The sheriff just stared at him a moment. "What are you doing here? Are you involved in law enforcement?"

"No. I came here to retire, but it seems that I can't get away from it all."

"It follows you, huh?"

Mac nodded. "I can't believe how my life has changed since I moved over here. It's unbelievable."

"I assume you still have your detective's license?"

"I do but I didn't intend to get involved in anything like this."

"Are you going to get involved?"

Mac looked at him seriously. "If Don dies, I'll be involved."

"I really am sorry about your friend but we have to have more information before we can figure this out."

"I agree, but I want to see him first before I go anywhere."

Soon, the doctor came to the door and allowed Mac to go back there to see Don. He walked into the room, and could not help but remember the time he had stood over Don when he had his guts ripped out by an explosion. Don was in the bed this time however, and had IV's in both arms and oxygen, and a heart monitor. Mac walked over to the bed and just watched his breathing for a moment. "Don, don't you give up on me, now," he said. "I'm gonna find out who did this to you." He knew Don could not hear him. "Don't leave us, Don."

When Mac left Don's room, he went out to his truck. He sat there a moment trying to figure out what he wanted to do next. It was morning now and He supposed he should go home and let Connie know what he intended to do if he could figure it out himself. He thought maybe he should go and talk to Johnny and Janie too. He knew he could trust them and he was not sure who else he could trust around this area. He knew rural areas had a lot of problems like this.

Mac drove home and went into the house. Connie was in the kitchen when Mac walked in. He took his coat off as he saw Don's blood on the living room carpet. Connie came over to him. "Are you okay?" she asked. "Is Don going to be alright?"

Mac shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "He's in a coma."

"What are you going to do, Mac?"

Mac looked at her. "I'm going to talk to Johnny and Janie," he said. He hugged Connie and held her as he tried to let some of his tension go.

"Mac, promise me you won't get into a dangerous situation."

Mac thought about that. "I can't."

"Mac, we have a baby coming. You can't put yourself in a dangerous situation."

Mac knew she was right but he could not stay out of this. "I can't promise."

Connie backed up and looked at him. She knew he could not stay out of that situation because Don was his friend, and more than that. She knew Don had followed him over there and now Mac felt as though it was his responsibility.

"I'm sorry," Mac said. "But I can't promise."

"I don't want you to leave me, Mac."

"I won't."

"Let's have breakfast."

"I don't know if I can eat right now."

"You need to."

Mac sat down at the table and rubbed his face as Connie went into the kitchen. He had not felt like this since he left New York. Connie watched him as he worried and stared out the window. She hated that Don was in such a dire situation. She hoped he would be okay.

Connie soon had their breakfast ready and they sat at the table. Mac picked at his egg with the fork and thought about Don. He did not think he could sit there and eat while Don lay in the hospital, maybe dying. He thought of Jo and the others. He thought he should call them and let them know what happened, and then there was Don's family. What would they think when they heard about this?

"Mac, please eat," Connie said.

Mac looked at her. "I'm just not hungry," he said.

Connie was not sure what to say. She did not think she would ever be in a position that she did not know what to say to Mac, but she was there now. "What can I do to help him?" Mac asked. "How can I find out what happened and who did it?"

"Why don't you let the law handle that?" Connie asked.

"I'm not used to that."

"Well, you might as well get used to it, Mac Taylor, because you're not in law enforcement anymore, and you're about to have a family!"

Mac was surprised at her tone. "Are you telling me what to do?"

Connie glared at him slightly. "Well, somebody should! You can't seem to make up your mind what you're going to do in life!"

"I'll have you know that life doesn't end just because you get married! I'm still the same person I was before I met you!"

"Is that so? Well, maybe you should have kept your cabin!"

Connie got up from the table and went to the bedroom and slammed the door. Mac looked toward the bedroom and realized he was being insensitive to her feelings. She was in a delicate condition and did not need to be worrying about him running around maybe getting killed himself. He sighed and then went to the bedroom. He went in and found Connie lying on the bed. He walked over to the bed and sat down. "I'm sorry," he said. "I know you're thinking about the baby. I just feel like it's my fault."

Connie sat up, and Mac could see that she had been crying. "It's not your fault, Mac," she said. "You didn't tell him to get out there and get involved in something like that. He wasn't working for you."

"I know."

Connie put her arms around Mac. "I know he is special to you."

Mac shook his head. "He said I was like a father to him," he said.

"You 'will' be the father of our baby."

"I know. I'm gonna go and talk to Johnny and Janie though. I have to tell them what Don said."

"Okay."

"I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"I shouldn't have yelled at you either."

They kissed and then Mac went into the living room and got his coat. Connie came in there and just watched him. Mac opened the door and just looked at her a moment and then went on out the door.

Mac arrived at the ranch, and by this time, there was a cold mist falling. He closed the truck door and walked to the porch. The front door opened and Johnny was there. "Mac, you just can't stay away from this place, can you?" he asked. He noticed Mac did not say anything. "Something wrong?"

"Yes," Mac said.

"Well, come on in."

Mac went into the house where it was warm and cozy. Janie was sitting on the sofa sipping coffee. "Well, good morning, Mac," she said.

"Morning," Mac replied.

"So, what's bothering you this morning?" Johnny asked.

"It's about Don Flack," Mac said. "He was shot early this morning."

"Shot? By whom?"

"I don't know. He said he was under cover with the sheriff's department but I don't know which one."

"I'm sorry, Mac. Is he going to be okay?"

"I don't know, but he told me something before he…before they came to get him. He said 'stuffed animals'. He told me to remember stuffed animals. I don't know what that meant."

"Stuffed animals?"

"Yes. He was undercover. He said something about drugs and…he was passing out. I didn't get much."

Johnny and Janie looked at each other. "We don't know anything about it, Mac," Johnny said.

"I just wanted to tell you because I don't know who he was working for or what it was about. I know I can trust you."

"We'll find out what we can," Janie said.

Just then, Mac's phone rang. "Excuse me," he said. He turned and walked over to the door and answered. "Hello."

"Is this Mac Taylor?"

"It is. Who is this?"

"I'm Doctor Ritter. You are the emergency contact for Donald Flack?"

"Yes. Is there something wrong?"

"Mister Taylor, I hate to inform you, but…your friend passed away."

Mac felt like his knees disappeared from this legs and the next thing he knew, he was on them in the floor. "Mac!" Johnny exclaimed. He ran over to Mac, and so did Janie.

"I'm sorry, Mister Taylor," Dr. Ritter said. "Could you help me inform his family?"

Mac had to absorb that a moment. "Yeah," he said, feeling like he did not really say it.

"I'll talk to you again later, Mister Taylor."

"Okay."

Mac realized he was sitting in the floor and Janie and Johnny were on each side of him. "What happened?" Johnny asked.

"It's, uhm…Don is." Mac stood up. "I have to figure out what to do next."

"Mac, tell us what happened. I don't think you should drive right now."

Mac rubbed his face. "I'm alright. I'm just a little shocked right now."

"Who was that on the phone?"

Mac looked at Johnny and Janie and he realized he did owe them an explanation. "It was the doctor," he said. "He said that…" He did not know why he found it so hard to say. "He said that Don is…dead."

Johnny sighed. "I'm sorry, Mac," he said. "What can we do to help you?"

"Just find out what he meant. I have to make some phone calls."

"You can do that in the office if you want."

Mac nodded. "I probably should."

Mac went into the office and sat down. He rubbed his face and thought a moment. He knew he had to call people in New York. He thought it would be best to call Jo and let her tell Don's family face to face. He looked at his phone and thought he would just call Jo's office. He dialed the number and waited.

Jo was sitting in her office when the phone rang. She leaned back in the chair and put the phone to her ear. "Detective Danville," she answered.

"Jo. It's me, Mac."

Jo sat up and smiled. "Mac, how are you?"

"I'm okay."

"You don't sound okay. Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, something's wrong, Jo. Something's happened."

"You and Connie are alright, aren't you?"

"Oh yes, we're fine. It's Don, Jo."

Jo was silent a moment. "What happened?"

"He's gone, Jo."

Jo thought she would fall through the floor. "What?"

"He was shot this morning."

"Shot? By whom?"

"I don't know. I don't know much about what happened. I just know that…our friend is gone."

Jo could hardly believe what she was hearing. "Does his family know?" she asked.

"That's why I called you, Jo. I didn't want to tell them this over the phone," Mac said.

"Oh, I know what you mean. I will relay the message."

"I'm sorry to put you on the spot like this but I just think they should be told in person."

"I understand. Are you okay?"

"I guess I will be." Mac wanted to tell her that Connie was pregnant but he just did not think this was the time. "I have to go to the hospital. I feel like I'm in a big whirlwind."

"I'll talk to you again later, Mac."

"Okay."

Mac ended the call. He had to go to the hospital but he would go and get Connie first. He did not have to go through this alone. He left Johnny and Janie's house and drove back home. Connie was at the door when he walked up there. "You're back so soon?" she asked.

"Something happened," Mac said.

"What?"

Mac went into the house and just stood there a moment. "The doctor at the hospital called," he said.

Connie waited for Mac to go on but he just stood there staring down at the floor. "Mac, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Don's dead."

Connie was shocked herself. She hugged Mac and felt his arms tighten around her. She did not know what to say, so she just held him. Then Mac kissed her long and gently. "I want you to go to the hospital with me," he said.

Connie nodded. "I will."

"I'm gonna go out to the barn a little while and give you some time to get ready."

"Okay."

Connie watched as Mac went out the back door. She knew he was going out there to let his emotions loose. She did not know why he felt he had to hide from her, but she went into the bedroom. She had felt nauseous today but she was feeling a little better now.

Mac went out to the barn and sat down on a bench he had in there. He could not believe this was happening. He was not sure what he would have to do but he was the closest thing to family that Don had out here. He wept out loud and then went back to the house.

Connie was in the living room waiting for him. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yes," Mac said.

They went out to the truck, and Mac drove to the hospital. He sat there a moment and then got out. He was glad Connie was there with him. He held her hand as they went inside. "I need to see Doctor Ritter," Mac said to the nurse at the front desk. "I'm Mac Taylor."

"Oh, yes, he's expecting you," the nurse said. "Come this way."

Mac and Connie followed the nurse to the doctor's office in the hospital. "Hello again, Mister Taylor," Dr. Ritter said. "I'm sorry about your friend."

"Can I see him?" Mac asked.

"His body has already been moved to the morgue."

Mac frowned. "I thought he had to be released before he could be sent there."

"He was by his sister."

"His sister? Who?"

"She said her name was Samantha."

"She's here in Wyoming?" Mac shook his head. "She couldn't have gotten here already."

"She came and released him for an autopsy."

Mac looked at Connie. "What's going on, Mac?" she asked.

"I don't know," Mac said. "But we're going to find out." He looked at the doctor. "Where is this morgue? Give me the address."

The doctor wrote the address for Mac. "Is there something wrong?" he asked.

"It couldn't have been his sister," Mac said. "She's in New York."

The doctor was not sure what to say but Mac and Connie went back outside. "Mac, you're not a cop," Connie reminded him as they got into the truck. "You can't go in there and demand anything."

"This is my friend, Connie," Mac said. "And more than that. I'm all he has over here right now. Nobody is going to take his body."

Connie knew Mac was determined, and she also knew that he would not stop until he solved this problem…


	12. Chapter 12

Mac found the address of the morgue. "You stay here," Mac said.

"Mac, you should be telling someone about this," Connie replied. "You could get into trouble."

"I'm leaving the keys here. If you see something going on, you get out of here."

"Mac!"

Mac got out of the truck. "Get over here in the driver's seat," he said.

Connie got into the driver's seat. "Mac, I am not being selfish when I tell you that your priorities are with me and this baby!" she declared. "You helped create it! What do you think is going to happen to us if you're gone?"

Mac just looked at her a moment and then he closed the door. Connie felt so angry she wanted to get out of the truck and go after him, but she knew he was going to do it no matter what she said.

Mac went into the morgue office. "Who's in charge around here?" he asked as he walked up to the front desk.

"Doctor Ralph Bainer is the lead physician here," the woman said.

"I need to see him. You can tell him that Mac Taylor is here and I want to talk to him about Don Flack, and I want any autopsy that is being performed on him stopped right now!"

"I'll get Doctor Bainer."

Mac paced back and forth while he waited. He was getting more aggravated by the minute. Soon, and doctor dressed in garb similar to what Sid used to wear in New York came out there. "I'm Doctor Bainer," he said. "Who are you?"

"I'm Mac Taylor." Mac showed him his detective license which he always had. "I'm here about Don Flack. He was brought here earlier for an autopsy."

"I'm sorry, Mister Taylor, but we don't have anyone by that name here."

Mac just stared at him a moment. "What?" he asked.

"We don't have anyone here by that name."

"Well, the doctor at the hospital told me that he was sent here for an autopsy."

"He wasn't sent here."

"Now, look, I want to know what's going on here. Is there another morgue in this town?"

"No. This is not a large town. We don't need more than one."

Mac stepped closer to him. "Then you better find out what happened to my friend's body."

"I assure you, I don't know."

"What kind of town is this? You lose bodies?"

"There have not been any bodies brought to this morgue today."

Mac frowned. "Well, if they didn't bring it here, where did they take it?" he asked. "I was told at that hospital that they sent it here."

"Well, somebody's pulling your leg because that body didn't come here."

Mac was not sure what to believe but he did not think this man was lying to him. "Thanks," he said.

Mac went back out to the truck where Connie was still sitting, and she was very angry too. She moved back over as Mac opened the door. He could see she was angry but he had something more serious to worry about. He closed the truck door and pulled out of the parking lot.

"Well?" Connie said.

"The doctor in there said Don's body was never brought here," Mac replied.

"What?"

"I don't know what's going on here but I think I have to take you home."

"Mac."

"Connie, please don't argue with me about this." Mac looked at Connie. "You know I can't stay out of this."

Connie sighed and folded her arms. She definitely knew he could not stay out of it. She had to wonder what was going on herself. "Why would the doctor at the hospital lie?" she asked.

"I don't know that he was lying. I think there is something going on that I don't know about."

"What if they don't want you to know about it?"

"Well, that's just too bad because I'm going to find out anyway."

"Mac, what if they seriously don't want you to know?"

Mac sighed. He knew that was coming. She worried about him being killed. He just did not say anything and drove home. Connie just looked at Mac. "Are you coming in?" she asked.

"No," Mac said without looking at her.

Connie just got out and slammed the door. Mac watched her stalk into the house and then he backed out of the driveway. She would just have to be angry at him. He would not back down. He drove back to the hospital and demanded to see Dr. Ritter.

"He's at his practice," the nurse at the front desk said.

"Where's that?" Mac asked.

The nurse gave Mac the address, so he drove over there. He went inside and found that there were several people in the waiting room. He did not want to cause a scene in there but he was going to talk to that doctor. He walked up to the front desk where the receptionist was. He hated talking through a glass but that was what most doctor's offices had now because of germs. "I need to talk to Doctor Ritter," Mac said. "Tell him Mac Taylor is here and I need to talk to him now."

"I'll tell him," the woman said and left the office.

Mac stood there and waited noticing that some of the people in the waiting room were watching him now. The receptionist soon came back and let Mac into the back area. She led him to an office in the back of the building where Dr. Ritter was.

"Mister Taylor, I wasn't expecting to see you again," Dr. Ritter said.

"I'm sure you weren't," Mac replied.

"Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, there's something wrong. The doctor at that morgue said Don's body was never brought there. Now, I want to know who took his body and what you know about it."

Dr. Ritter was silent for a moment. "Mister Taylor, I don't know," he said. "But if his body was stolen…you should be talking to the sheriff, not me."

"You're the one who released his body to these people who obviously weren't legitimate. What do you know about this?"

"Nothing. I told you, I don't know anything."

Mac blew out a breath. "I want to see the release papers," he said.

"Mister Taylor, I can't release information like that to you."

"Why not? I was his emergency contact. I was the one who signed everything for him."

"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to report this to the sheriff."

"Believe me, I will."

Mac left the doctor's office and went out to his truck. He had to find out which sheriff's office Don was working for. He thought about that a moment. He did not know how far Don had been from his house when he was shot, but he was able to make it there. He had no way of knowing how much blood Don had lost and at what rate he was losing it or he might be able to figure out how long it had taken for him to get there. He did not even know where Don had been shot. No one had told him anything. He figure since Don had been shot three times, he was probably bleeding pretty badly, so he figured he must have been in the county where he lived which was Fremont, so he headed for Riverton where the sheriff's office was. He had not been to Riverton yet so he knew nothing about this city.

As Mac arrived in Riverton, he found that it looked like an old town. They also had a visitor's center, so he went out there to find out where he could find the sheriff's office. He did not want to just drive around looking for it. Riverton was not a huge city but it was not what he would call small either. He went into the visitor's center and they told him how to get to the sheriff's office which was not far from the police department.

Mac walked into the sheriff's office which was larger on the inside than it looked from the outside. He supposed that was how all places were to some extent. "Can I help you?" the young officer at the front asked.

"I need to talk to the sheriff," Mac said. "My name is Mac Taylor."

"I'll let him know you're here."

Mac waited while he was announced. He hoped he would find some information here. Soon, the officer came and took him to the sheriff's office. The sheriff was a tall man with blond hair and blue eyes, and he was even wearing boots, and Mac could see a cowboy hat hanging on the coat rack. He was wearing a light blue denim shirt and jeans, but he had a well-polished badge pinned to that shirt. "Good morning," the sheriff said as he shook Mac's hand. "What can I do for you?"

Mac shook his hand and hoped that he had found an honest law man. "I'm Mac Taylor," he said.

"I'm Benny Corruthers. Everybody just calls me Ben."

"Well, do you know a man named Don Flack?"

Ben frowned. "You know him?" he asked and went to close the office door.

"I sure do know him," Mac declared. "He worked for me for ten years in New York, now I want to know what's going on."

Ben sat down behind his desk. "So, you know him pretty well."

"Yeah, I do, and I want to know just how well you know him. Was he working for you?"

Ben nodded. "He was. He was deep under cover."

Mac sighed. "I want to know what happened to his body," he said. "You must know something about that."

"What do you mean?"

"Don's body was taken from the hospital, supposedly headed for the morgue and they told me his body never arrived there. The hospital said that his sister came to get his body, but that's impossible because he only has one sister and she's in New York. Now, what's going on?"

"You're a detective?"

"I sure am."

"I don't know why anyone would take his body from the hospital."

"Don't give me the run-around," Mac said. "They got his body out of there before I could get to that hospital. Is there something that I should know?"

Ben leaned on his desk and looked at Mac with his hard, blue eyes. "I can assure you that there's nothing you should know," he said. "Now, why don't you go home and let the law handle this?"

Mac glared at him. "It's odd to me that you're not one bit upset about his body being missing," he said. "If that had happened when he was working for me, New York would have been upside down by now."

"We will look into this situation. You stay out of it."

Mac frowned. "I don't intend to stay out of it. What do you think I'm supposed to tell his family?"

"I'm sorry about that, but I can't tell you anymore about this case."

"Can't or won't?" Mac stood up. "You haven't heard the last from me."

Ben stood up. "I wouldn't want to have to arrest you," he said.

"Don't worry," Mac said with a smirky grin.

Mac walked out of that office, and Ben just stood there a moment. He thought that detective was going to make more trouble than they had ever seen.

Mac went out to his truck, not sure what he should do next, but then his phone rang. He pressed the talk button and almost said _Taylor, _but he managed to say "Hello."

"Mac, I'm on my way to Wyoming," Jo said, "along with Don's sister, Samantha."

Mac squeezed his eyes closed a moment. "Jo, we've got a problem," he said.

"Like what?"

"Don't bring Samantha here yet."

"Mac, she wants to claim her brother's body and bring it back to New York."

"I know that, Jo, but she's going to have to wait. There's an investigation going on right now and the body…she can't take it right now."

Jo was silent for a moment. "I get the feeling there's something you're not telling me," she said. "You didn't tell me not to come."

"No, I didn't."

"Danny is coming too."

"Okay."

Mac knew Jo was figuring out that there was something wrong. "Okay," Jo said. "I'll let Samantha know that we'll contact her again when she can come and get his body."

"Tell her I'm so sorry," Mac said.

"Danny and I will be there this evening."

"Good."

"I'll let you know when we land."

"Okay."

Mac ended that call. He knew if Jo and Danny were there, he would have some help and he could trust them. He knew Connie would not like it but he was going to find out what happened.

When Mac got home, Connie was in the kitchen fixing her lunch. She just glanced at him and kept on doing what she was doing. Mac hung up his coat and went over there. He looked at her a moment and then washed his hands. "The sheriff claims he doesn't know anything about what happened," he said.

"Of course," Connie replied and took her plate over to the table and sat down.

Mac fixed himself a plate and then went over to the table. Connie just looked out the window. "I don't know why you have to act like this," he said. "What if it was one of your friends? One of your brothers?"

Connie looked at him. "Mac, I know that you cared about Don, but you're not a cop anymore," she said.

"I may not be employed as one, but I'm still a detective, Connie. Do you honestly think I could sit around here and not go crazy wondering what's going on?"

Connie just looked out the window again as she took a bite of her carrots. Mac picked at his food. He was hungry but he was not sure he could eat. He knew he needed to eat though because he did not know where this situation was going to lead him.

Mac hated eating in silence. "So, what have you been doing all morning besides being angry at me?" he asked just to ruffle her feathers.

Connie looked at him. "And just how do you know that I have spent my morning being angry at you?" she asked.

"I'm not stupid."

Mac just wanted her to talk even if she was fussing at him. "Okay," Connie said. "I have been angry at you today. Even though I understand why you are doing it, I don't agree with you going out there risking your life."

"Who said I'm risking my life?" Mac asked.

"Mac Taylor, you know good and well if you keep on with this, there is going to be some danger involved."

"I went to see Johnny and Janie this morning, and while I was there, that doctor called and told me…that one of my best friends was dead. Just what did you expect me to do?"

Connie was silent a moment. "I don't know. I wish I could take your pain away but I can't."

Mac rubbed his forehead. He did not want to start crying again. He felt like he had cried more in the last year than he ever had in his life…except when he was a kid. "I think of all the times that Don and I talked things over and the times I was there for them through something sad, life shattering. They were all there for me when Christine died. If it hadn't been for them, I would have been alone."

"They were your family," Connie said.

Mac looked at her and nodded. "Yeah. Because I didn't have anyone else until Christine came along. "Jo and Danny are coming," he said. "They're going to help me."

"Oh, Mac, please be careful. I don't want you to leave me."

"I'm not going anywhere, Babe. You're going to have to put up with me a long time, and I love that little life you're carrying inside you."

Connie started crying then. Mac stood up. "I didn't mean to make you cry," he said.

"Oh, Mac!" Connie said. "It's impossible to stay mad at you." She stood up and hugged him. "I just don't want to be without you."

"You won't be," Mac said. He wiped tears off her face. "Don't cry."

Connie looked into his eyes a moment. "I love you so much, Mac."

"I love you more than I can say."

Connie ran her fingers through his hair that was starting to turn a little gray on the sides. "Are you reminding me that I'm getting old?" Mac asked.

Connie smiled. "No. I just love all of you, even your gray hair."

"I don't think you'll have any gray hair for a long time, and I don't think I could see it if you did since your hair is blond."

"I think we're trying to avoid the issue that we're arguing about," Connie said.

"I don't want to argue with you," Mac replied. "Just let me do this and be behind me. I need you. Why do you think I took you with me this morning? I need you."

"You depend on me that much?"

"Of course I do. When I think you're mad at me, I feel alone, and I'm not as strong without you."

Connie shook her head. "Mac, you are incredible," she said.

"Why?"

"You just make me feel like I'm special."

"You are. You make me complete."

Connie played with the top button on Mac's shirt. "Well, you go out there and you find out what's going on." She looked into his eyes. "But if you get hurt, I'm going to spank you myself."

Mac could not help but smile, and then his smile turned a little mischievous. "Well, I won't be doing anything for a while," he said. "Do you want to spank me now?"

Connie laughed. "You are awful."

"You want me to show you how awful I can be?"

"I don't believe we were just arguing."

"Love conquers all, you know."

"Well, why don't we go and let it conquer us both?"

Mac picked her up. "I thought you'd never ask."

Mac knew he would be getting into a messy situation later, but right now, he needed his wife…


	13. Chapter 13

That evening, Mac went to the airport to pick up Jo and Danny. They both hugged him. "Hey, stranger," Danny said. "How you been?"

"I'm alright," Mac said. "How's everything back home?"

"Fine. Great. Lindsay said I better come back over there the way I left."

Mac smiled but then his smile faded. "Mac, what is going on?" Jo asked. "I had a hard time convincing Samantha to stay in New York."

"I'm sure you did," Mac said. He looked around them. "Let's go somewhere else to talk."

They all got into the Avalanche and headed for Mac's house. "So, what's going on?" Jo asked.

"Don's body is missing," Mac said. "I don't know what's going on."

"Missing?" Danny asked. "You mean it was stolen?"

"As far as I know, and I think one of those doctors knows exactly what's going on."

Jo shook her head. "You realize that we have no authority over here," she said.

"We may not but we're all detectives. We don't have to have a license to be a private detective here."

"A private detective for whom?" Jo asked. "And may I remind you that Danny and I still work for the New York crime lab. If we get into something out here, we're going to be in hot water with the chief."

"When has that ever stopped us?" Mac asked.

"It's never stopped Mac," Danny said. "She wasn't here when you went traipsing off to Chicago and had the whole Chicago P.D. turned upside down because you found a body in the Tribune building."

Mac smiled. "Right," he said. "Well, I assure you we're not going to get into anything like that."

"I also want to remind you that Don doesn't work for New York anymore either," Jo said. "That means Danny and I don't have the slightest right of interest in this in the eyes of the law."

"I just wanted someone here that I can trust," Mac said.

"I understand but I don't see what we can do."

"We have to find out what happened to Don's body."

Danny rubbed his eyes. "I can't believe this is happening," he said. "Why would anyone steal his body?"

"I don't know but we're going to find out. We have to find someone in that hospital who can help us."

"Have you talked to the administrator?" Jo asked.

"Not yet. I couldn't just do this myself. Besides, with your charms, you could probably do better than me."

Jo's mouth dropped open. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm kinda harsh when I get into something like this with somebody."

"And I'm not?"

"We all have our talents."

"So you want me to go in there and charm the hospital administrator? And what if the administrator is a woman?"

"Well, just talk to her woman to woman."

"I need to know more about this."

"Don came to my house early this morning," Mac said. "He had been shot in the back three times. The ambulance came and took him. I went down to the hospital and saw him after his surgery. I was under the impression that he would make it, and later the doctor called me and told me that he was gone. It shocked me so bad I think I didn't even know what I was doing for a while."

"It was shocking to us too. I just hope this doesn't drive his sister back to drinking."

"I don't think she's that fragile anymore."

"So, what is your plan?"

"I don't have one yet, but right now, we're going to my house and get you two settled."

Mac drove to his house and Danny and Jo followed him in with their luggage. Connie was sitting on the sofa. "Jo and Danny, this is my wife, Connie," Mac said. "Connie, this is Jo Danville and Danny Messer."

"Nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Taylor," Jo said and hugged Connie. "You must be the reason for his happiness."

"She is," Mac said.

Danny shook Connie's hand. "Nice to meet you," he said.

They had already known how young Connie was but they were still a little surprised. "I guess Mac told you that we're going to have a baby," Connie said.

Jo and Danny were both surprised. "Then again, I guess he didn't," Connie said and looked at Mac.

"Well, at the time, I was…I just didn't feel like telling them," Mac said. "I thought I would wait until we weren't in the middle of a crisis."

Connie looked at Jo and Danny. "We're going to have a baby," she said.

"Congratulations," Jo said. "Mac, that is just wonderful. You're going to be a father!" She hugged Mac.

Mac shook his head. "Yeah, I'm finally going to be a father," he said.

"Hey, it's not as easy as it looks," Danny declared.

"That's what I hear."

"I have supper ready," Connie said. "If you're all hungry, we can eat now."

"Great," Mac said. "I'll show them to their rooms and we'll wash up."

"Okay."

Mac showed Danny and Jo to the other bedrooms. "You can choose either one you want," he said, and he remembered telling Don that same thing when he came there.

"Mac, you know, we can stay in a hotel," Jo said.

Mac looked at her and shook his head. "No, you'll be fine here. I just remember telling Don that when he came here."

"We'll figure this out, Mac."

"I hope so."

Jo looked into the empty bedroom as they passed by it. "Is this going to be the baby's room?" she asked.

"Well, when the baby is old enough to be this far from us," Mac replied.

"Cherish every moment because it will be here before you know it."

"Don't try to make me more nervous than I already am."

"I'm not trying to make you nervous. I just want you to enjoy it."

"I will."

"Isn't Connie upset about you getting involved in this case?"

"Yes, but she understands."

Mac, Jo and Danny went back to the kitchen where supper was ready. Mac smiled as he knew they were about to eat some fresh food. He wondered if he was healthier now than he had been when he lived in New York. He definitely had less stress, and he had been eating better since he moved here. He had seen many days in New York where he skipped two out of three meals. That was not good for a person, and neither was stress.

Jo took a bite of the food. "This is wonderful," she said. She looked at Connie. "So, how far along are you?"

"I don't know yet," Connie replied. "I haven't been to the doctor yet."

"Oh, well, we have other ways of figuring out how far along you are. After all, I've been through this before."

"That was a long time ago," Mac reminded her.

"You stay out of this. Once a mother, always a mother. You never forget."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Danny snickered at that. "You might as well not try to get a handle on this," he said to Mac. "You just have to take it as it comes."

Mac sat there and listened to Connie and Jo talk about pregnancy, but he could not help but think of Don. His body was lost out there somewhere. "Who is this doctor at the hospital?" Danny asked.

"Doctor Ritter," Mac said. "I don't know him except that he operated on Don."

"You think he's mixed up in this somehow?"

"I just don't see how he couldn't know about it."

"He said Don's sister came to claim his body."

"Which couldn't be true. Man, what's going on around here. You move out here and all you find is trouble?"

"I guess sometimes trouble is hidden from view till you live in the area."

After supper, Mac sat on the sofa and thought of what he wanted to do. "The way I see it," Danny said. "If they stole his body, there has to be some reason."

"But what reason?"

"You ever thought that maybe he's not dead?"

Mac looked at him a little puzzled. "Actually…no," he said.

"It just seems odd to me that someone would steal a dead body."

Mac thought about that. He had to admit he had not thought about that before. _Why would someone steal a dead body? _"Why would they steal his body if he's alive?" he asked.

"That's a good question, Mac."

"I'm getting more worried about this by the minute. If he's alive then where is he?"

"Where is he if he's dead?"

Mac rubbed his face, and then he heard laughter from the bedroom. He knew Jo and Connie were in there talking. "Why don't we go out to the barn?" Mac asked. "I don't want Connie to walk in here and us talking about this."

"Sure," Danny replied.

They put on their coats and walked out to the barn. Danny shivered. "It sure is cold out there," he said.

"Yeah," Mac replied. "But I guess it will get colder."

Mac sat down on the bench in the barn. "I don't know how to feel," he said.

"I don't either," Danny replied. "Don, he was like a brother to me."

"He told me I was like a father to him, and I can't help but think that he came out here because of me."

"Mac, there's no way this is your fault. You didn't tell Don to come out here."

"I didn't tell him not to either."

"Do you think he would want you blaming yourself?"

"Who knows if he would blame me or not?"

"You know better than that. Don did come over here because he wanted to be close to you but you couldn't have talked him out of it if you had tried. You should have seen him talking about this place when he came back to New York. He was excited about it, and I wasn't surprised when he moved out here."

"I don't know why he took that job. I thought he was working for a ranch somewhere."

"We just have to figure out who he was after and who came to that hospital to claim his body."

"Well, that's not going to be easy because the sheriff is not going to tell me anything. I went in there and was my usual charming self."

Danny snickered. "Did he throw you out?" he asked.

"No, but he probably would have if I had not left on my own," Mac said. "The problem with him was that he didn't seem to be upset about Don's body being missing. I informed him that if that had been one of my people, New York would have been turned upside down."

"I guess he didn't like that too well."

"No. He told me he wouldn't want to have to arrest me."

"Arrest you? For what?"

"Interfering I guess."

Danny sat down beside Mac and leaned on his knees. "You know, it's real hard to lose someone like that," Danny said. "Someone you've worked with for years and you know how they respond to something on the beat, and you laugh with them and talk with them. I think you just think they're going to be around forever."

"I guess that's the way it is with everybody," Mac said. "You don't think of that person being gone because they've always been there."

"The first time I met Don was on nine-eleven. I didn't know him then but we met right after the towers fell. He was helping a woman and I was in shock I guess."

"I think we were all in shock a while after that. I know I was. It just hit me all at once that I wasn't going to see Claire anymore. I think I felt like I was frozen for a while and I don't think I had ever felt like that."

"We're going to find out what happened to Don."

Mac nodded. "Yes, we are. There won't be another one lost like this. I won't let his family go through what I went through."

"When do we start?" Danny asked.

"I would like to start tonight," Mac said. "I wish Adam was around."

"You're not thinking of breaking into their computers, are you? That would sure get you busted."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Mac looked at Danny. "You ever snuck into a place before?"

"I think those things happened back in the old days."

Mac chuckled at that. "Sometimes when you're a private investigator, you have to do things that aren't logical."

"So, we're private investigators now?"

"We have to be."

"Yeah, I can hear Sinclair now…if you want to be a private investigator, I can relieve you of your other obligations."

"Don't worry, we're not going to cause that much of a stir."

"You gonna involve Jo in this?"

"I think she could keep Connie occupied for a while so she wouldn't be so worried."

Danny put his arm around Mac. "You know, I think I would have liked to work with you when you were young," he said. "You must have been quite a handful for your sergeant."

Mac pushed him. "Shut up. I was not, but I think I've developed some mischievousness in my old age."

"Mac, what if we find out that…what if Don really is dead?"

"Then we're going to give him a proper burial."

"I hope he's alright. I don't want to stand over his coffin."

"Neither do I."

Mac and Danny left the barn and walked back to the house. "This is a nice place," Danny said. "It's a whole lot like Montana."

"I'm sure it is," Mac replied.

"Hey, you don't have to be so sarcastic."

Mac smiled. "Well, since Montana is right up there, you would have to think it would be a lot like here."

"Alright wise guy."

They went back into the house where Jo and Connie were now sitting on the sofa talking, but they got quiet when Mac and Danny walked in. "You always know when they're talking about you," Danny said. "They get quiet."

"I already know that," Mac replied. "I was married a long time."

"I'm gonna turn in. It was a long flight."

"I think I will too."

Mac went to his room. He did not intend to go to sleep yet. He could not sleep knowing that Don had been stolen, and he did not even know if he was alive or dead. Connie soon came into the room. She smiled at Mac and put her arms around his neck while he stood at the chest of drawers. "What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"I'm thinking about what I'm going to do," Mac said.

"And what is that?"

Mac did not answer. Connie just looked at him a moment. "Mac, why do you always keep your thoughts from me?"

"I don't," Mac said.

"Today, you went out to the barn to grieve over your friend like you couldn't do that in front of me."

Mac frowned. "I don't know why."

"Don't you love me?"

Mac looked at her then. "Why are you asking me that?"

"I don't mean it that way. I mean, don't you know that two people who love each other can share anything, even their hurts?"

"Yes, I know that."

"Do you think you would be embarrassed to cry in front of me?"

"I don't know. It's just the way I am. You knew how I was before we got married."

"Oh, yes, I know how you were. A determined, stubborn man who didn't want anyone to know that he had emotions, and didn't want to share his life with anyone, but now, you have me. You said you need me."

"Yes, I do need you. I don't have to go through things alone."

Mac went over to the bed and lay down on his back. Connie lay down beside him. "I guess I am stubborn," Mac said. "But sometimes you have to be stubborn."

"Oh I know that."

"You're pretty stubborn yourself."

"Oh, Mac, I think we're going to have the most stubborn child in the world."

Mac smiled. "Well, maybe he'll be determined when he grows up."

"Or maybe she'll find a good man like you."

"It's like a dream," Mac said. He turned over toward Connie. "Don't you think it's like a dream?"

"Yes, but if it is, I don't want to wake up."

"Me neither."

Mac played with a strand of Connie's golden hair and studied her blue eyes. "You know, when I'm this close to you, there's only one thing I want to do," he said.

"And what is that?" Connie asked.

Mac moved closer to her. "Don't you know?"

"Turn out that light, and maybe we'll make enough electricity to light up this room ourselves."


	14. Chapter 14

During the night, Mac got out of bed without waking Connie. He got dressed and got his gun from the top drawer in his chest. He got a clip and put it in his coat pocket and then left a note for Connie on the bed. He looked at her a moment and then went on to the garage. Just as he was about to get into the truck, someone said, "Where do you think you're going, Mac Taylor?"

Mac was a little startled. He looked to see Jo standing in the door that led into the garage. "Jo, go back to bed," Mac said.

"Why? Where are you going?"

"I can't sleep."

"You can't just go out there and solve all the world's problems alone."

"I'm not going to try to solve the world's problems."

"Yes you are. Just like you always have."

"Jo, I'm just going to look into something."

"Why are you sneaking out of the house?"

"I'm not…" Mac rolled his eyes. He knew he was sneaking out of the house. "I'll sneak out of my own house if I want. Just leave me alone."

"You better stay in touch with me so I will know where you are. Where are you going?"

Mac sighed. "I'm going to the hospital," he said. "It's open twenty-four hours a day."

"You could at least take Danny with you."

"If I get into trouble, I don't want to jeopardize your jobs."

"Oh Mac, when are you going to learn that we care as much for Don as you do?"

"I know you do, but I'm not obligated to the N.Y.P.D."

"Just be careful and don't cause a national incident."

Mac smiled slightly. "I'll try not to."

Jo shook her head and watched Mac leave. She could not sleep either. She had been on the computer with Adam, and they had stopped short of breaking into the hospital's computers or the morgue's computers. He had looked in the public records and had not found any record of Don's death which was odd. Jo knew when someone died, it was supposed to be recorded somewhere.

Mac drove over to the hospital. He left his weapon in the truck since he could not take it in there. He did not know what he would get into but he had find out what happened in this hospital. He walked by the front desk as though he were going to visit someone in the hospital. He walked down the hallway and found a nurse's station. There were two nurses there. "Can I help you?" one of them asked.

Mac could see her name on her tag, which was Beth. "I'm here about Don Flack," he said. "I would like to see one of the nurses that took care of him when he was here."

"Just a minute," Beth said. She went into the nurse's station and looked at a chart and then she came back. "Did no one tell you that he is deceased?"

"Yes, but there is a big problem with that message. You see, his body has vanished. I want to know if he's really dead, and where his body is."

"It was sent to the morgue. It was picked up this morning."

Mac frowned. "Is that what your records say?" he asked. "Are you one of the nurses that took care of him?"

"No. Jenny and Renee took care of him. He was never in a room on the hall. He was in recovery and intensive care."

"Are there no records that I can see?" Mac asked.

"I'm afraid not. I can't release a patient's records to anyone without their permission."

"I was the emergency contact for him. I should be able to know what happened and where his body is now."

"Mister…"

"Taylor. Mac Taylor."

"Mister Taylor, you should go and see the hospital administrator. I'm sure he could help you more than we can."

Mac felt like he was going in circles. "Where is he?"

The nurse told Mac how to get to the administrator's office. He thought it sounded like a maze with so many turns, but he went down there and finally found it. He thought it would be a large office but it was rather small. The woman inside had incredibly red hair and dark green eyes. She smiled when Mac walked in. "Hi," she said. "What are you doing here this late at night?"

"I want to see the hospital administrator," Mac replied.

"Oh, well, he's not here right now, but I wouldn't mind you keeping me company."

"Maybe you can help me," Mac said and leaned on the desk.

The woman leaned forward. "And just how could I help you?"

"I'll bet you could let me see the files about Donald Flack."

"I could let you see a lot more than that."

Mac shook his head. "Look, I really need to see those files," he said.

"Well, I would really like to see what a good kisser you are."

Mac frowned and stood up straight. "That's not going to happen," he said. "I happen to be a very happily married man."

The woman looked at him a moment. "You must be one of a kind," she said. "What are you wanting to know about?"

"My friend, Donald Flack, was here this morning. He was a gunshot victim, and the doctor called me and told me that he had passed away, and by the time I got here, his body had supposedly been taken to the morgue, but when I got there, they said they didn't have anyone by that name."

"Then his body is lost?" the woman asked.

"You could say that. No one seems to know where it is and no one wants to help me find out what happened."

"I wouldn't know how to find out."

"Can't you let me see the release papers for his body?"

The woman looked around nervously. "If I get caught, I could lose my job," she whispered. "I can't lose my job."

"How long do you think he'll be gone?" Mac asked.

"Oh, alright, but if he comes in, you better make like I'm in the bathroom. I'll make you a copy of that file if I can find anything."

"Thank you."

The woman started to go into the other room, but then she looked at Mac. "Can't I even know you're name?"

"Mac Taylor."

"I'm Cindy."

Mac frowned as she went into the other room. He sat down in the waiting room so he would not look suspicious if the man came in. He hoped Cindy would not get into trouble but if she did he would try to help her when this situation was over. Then again, what she was doing would be considered dishonest. Fortunately, the administrator did not come back in before she came back to the waiting room. She gave Mac a folded paper. "I hope that helps you," she said.

"I shouldn't have asked you to do that," Mac said. "It wasn't even right."

"Well, I think you're worth getting into trouble for."

Mac just stared at her a moment. "Thanks," he said. "I'll get out of here now."

Mac walked out of there. He would wait until he got out of this hospital before he looked at that paper. He went out to his truck and got in. He unfolded the paper and shined his flashlight on it. It was definitely a release form that had Don's name on it. He looked at the signature on the form. He would have to make a copy of that and get it over to Adam to check against Samantha's real signature, even though he was sure it would not match. The form said that the body was released to that morgue he had been to but he knew…Mac looked out the window of the truck. He did not exactly know that Don's body was not there. He would have to go to that morgue and see what he could find out.

Mac drove over to the morgue and pulled around to the back in the alley. His truck was black so no one would see it in there. He shook his head at himself. He could not believe he was about to break into a place but he knew there was something going on here that was not legal because a body is not supposed to disappear.

Mac got out of his truck and looked up and down the alley. He still had some of his equipment that he had used when he worked at the N.Y.P.D., including a lock picking kit. He had never used that many times, and he could not remember when the last time was. Of course, he had been in an investigation at the time. He knew if he was caught now, he would be in trouble, and be arrested for B&E.

Mac watched down the alley while he picked the lock and got the door open. He went into the room which was totally dark. He wondered where the light switch was so he felt of the wall, and finally came across a double switch, and he hoped he flipped the right one, but then the light came on, and he realized he was in the cold part of the morgue. He had been in the morgue a lot in his life, but it never got easy. He remembered the time he had walked into the morgue looking for Sheldon and thought there was no one in the morgue, but then one of those freezer drawers started opening…Mac chuckled at himself. He had thought someone was in there still alive until Sheldon slid out.

Mac walked over to the door that led out of the freezer area. He did not see anyone out there so he went over to the first freezer drawer. He opened the drawer, and it was definitely not Don in there. He closed it back, and wondered if this was an invasion of privacy that he was committing. He looked in all six of the drawers there and did not find Don's body, so he went into the other part of the morgue. Of course, there was no one in the area where autopsies were done, but there was a strong smell of disinfectant. He was glad they at least kept the place clean. He thought this morgue had a kiln where they cremated people. He walked down to the other side of the building and found the kiln. He could see urns sitting on a shelf with tags on them, and there was also a box sitting on a table outside the kiln that had tags in it. Mac thought it might contain tags from people who had been cremated. He hoped he would not find Don's tag in there but he started looking through them. He was relieved when he did not find one with Don's name on it.

Mac thought he had come to a dead end…and he thought that was ironic. He knew Danny would say something about that if he were there. He also knew Connie would be upset when she found out he had been out here snooping around. He went to the back door and made sure he locked it when he went out. He got into his truck and got out of that alley. He wondered if he would ever find Don's body…and why would someone steal it? He decided he would go to the sheriff's office again. He knew that sheriff knew something.

When Mac walked into the sheriff's office, the deputy at the front desk frowned. He had heard about Mac. "I want to see the sheriff," Mac said.

"I'm not sure he wants to see you," the deputy replied.

"Tell him anyway."

"Are you giving me an order?"

"I have a right to see the sheriff."

"Fine. I'll tell him you're here…Taylor."

Mac frowned. He thought that story had gone all around this place. After all, it was a small department. Soon, the sheriff came out to the front desk. "What are you doing here again, Taylor?" he asked.

"I want to talk to you," Mac replied.

"I don't think we have anything else to talk about."

"We have plenty to talk about."

Ben just stared at Mac a moment. "Come into my office," he said.

Mac followed him to his office, and Ben closed the door. "Taylor, I thought I told you to stay out of this," he said.

"Stay out of what?" Mac asked.

"This investigation."

"Yes, and I told you that I want to know what happened to my friend, and I'm not going to quit until I know."

"You know, I can put you in jail if you cross the line."

Mac knew this sheriff would do just that if he found out he had broken into the morgue. "Where is he, Sheriff?" he asked.

"Listen, Taylor, you're messing with something that you don't know anything about."

"I know plenty about a lot of stuff!" Mac declared. "I was the head of the crime lab for fifteen years. There's not much that I haven't seen, and I know enough secrets to make you cringe."

Ben frowned. "I don't care what you know or what you've seen," he said. "This is my county."

"Don Flack worked for me for over ten years, Sheriff, and I'm not going to just forget that his body is missing!"

"You better, or you're going to end up in trouble."

"Why don't you want me to help?"

"Help what? All you're doing is causing more tension than there already is around here."

"Tell me where my friend is!" Mac demanded.

"You are in no position to make demands."

Mac stood up. "Then I'm going over your head," he said. "I know more people than you think."

Mac started to go out the door, but Ben grabbed his arm before he got out. "Stay out of this, Taylor," he warned.

"I can't," Mac replied. "Now let go of my arm."

"I'm not going to let you interfere in this investigation. If you've broken the law, I'm going to find out."

"You're not going to find out anything. Now, are you going to let go of my arm, or am I going to make you?"

"Is that a threat?"

Mac stared at him a moment, and then smiled slightly. "I see what you're doing," he said. "If you want me out of the way that badly, then I know there's something going on." He just looked at the sheriff. "I guess we can stand here while you hold onto my arm then."

Ben frowned and glared at Mac. "I can detain you for twenty-four hours," he said. "You may have had authority in New York, but you don't have any here."

"What are you going to hold me on?" Mac asked.

"Being a nuisance? Interfering in an investigation?"

"Yeah? If you do, I'll get to tell everything that I know when I'm interrogated."

"Who said you would be interrogated?"

"You don't interrogate people here?"

Ben let go of Mac's arm. He knew he could not fool him. Mac straightened his coat. "Thanks," he said and opened the door.

Ben watched Mac walk out the front door and then he called a deputy over there. "Follow him," he said. "I want to know everywhere he goes."

"Nothing to arrest him on, huh?" Frank Houston asked.

"Just follow him, Frank."

"Yes, sir."

Frank put his hat on and went outside. He saw Mac driving away in his truck already. He got in his car and followed him. Mac saw the deputy's car behind him. He supposed he had gone a little too far with that confrontation, but if they wanted to follow him they could go ahead. He supposed he should go home now and let everything settle down a while. He was just afraid that he was losing Don by not doing something now.

Mac drove home, and he could see that the deputy was still following him, so he pulled the truck into the garage and came out to go to the front door. He waved to the deputy with a smile as he went to the front door.

Frank rolled his eyes. He wondered what Ben thought he was going to accomplish by having him follow this seasoned detective. He turned on his electric heater so he would not have to waste gas while he sat there doing nothing. He took his phone out and started playing a game.

Mac went into the house and almost laughed as he hung his coat up, but his smile faded when he saw that Connie was standing at the doorway to the hall. She did not look at all happy either. "Where have you been?" she asked.

"Out," Mac said. "I couldn't sleep."

"Mac."

"I don't have to tell you everywhere I go."

"Is that so?"

"I didn't mean that."

"Oh yes you did."

Connie went back down the hall to the bedroom. Mac started to follow her but he heard someone clear their throat. He looked to see Jo standing in the kitchen. "You better watch what you say," she said.

Mac went on down the hall and closed the bedroom door. "Honey, do you have to get mad at me every time I do anything?" he asked.

"Mac, you snuck out in the middle of the night, and I didn't even know you were gone until I woke up and found out that you were gone, and came in here looking for you."

Mac sat down on the bed. "I'm sorry. I just couldn't sleep and I wanted to find out what I could."

"And you didn't want me to know."

"I didn't want you to worry about me."

"What do you think I did when I found out you were gone?"

Mac shook his head. "I guess I have to learn that what I do affects you," he said. "I'm just used to doing what I want."

"Don't hide things from me. It hurts the trust I have in you."

"Connie, you can trust me."

"Can I? You're sneaking off in the middle of the night?"

"Fine. Don't trust me then." Mac got undressed and got into the bed. "I'm tired now."

Connie just stood there a moment but then she got into the bed and snuggled up to his back. "I do trust you," she said.

"I have to find out what happened to Don," Mac said. "He would be the same way about me."

"I know. I just don't know what to say, Mac."

Mac turned toward her. "I don't either. I feel like…I don't even know."

"It gives you a cold feeling inside. All this dishonesty."

"I don't know what Don was involved in but it must have something to do with his body being gone, but they should have known that I would know his sister didn't come to get his body."

"They must not have known that you were that close to him."

"Did they not know that his real sister would come looking for him?"

"If they intended to make him disappear, then they probably intended to keep it from anyone who knew him, but you were here."

Mac thought about that. "Why would they intend to make him disappear?"

"I don't know, and I don't think you're going to find out either."

"I don't like being on the outside of the loop."

"I know, and I don't either."

Mac looked into her eyes. "I know," he said. He rubbed her arm. "I just didn't want to have to explain what I was doing. Can't you understand that?"

"Somewhere in my heart I can, but I don't want you to feel like you have to sneak around to do things and not let me know where you're going. Don't you understand that?"

Mac nodded. "I see your point."

"Good. Maybe we can get some sleep now."

Mac pulled her close to him. "Maybe we can," he said.

Mac lay there and thought about what he might do the next day. He intended to be a thorn in that sheriff's side until he got some answers…


	15. Chapter 15

The next morning, Mac was up first. He went into the kitchen and put on some coffee. He intended to do more today than he did last night. He yawned as he put some bacon into the pan. He supposed he had worried everyone last night but they could get up this morning and he would try to tell them what he planned to do…although he was not sure what he was going to do yet.

The next to arrive at the kitchen was Jo. "Good morning," she said. "You're up early for someone who was up most of the night."

"I wasn't up 'most' of the night. I was just up part of it."

"You don't sleep enough to recharge anyone's brain."

"Well, do you have any better ideas?"

"I did call Adam, but he couldn't find anything in public records about Don's death."

Mac leaned on the counter. "I guess that means it hasn't been recorded," he said. "It's like Connie said, they must have had some sort of plan and they didn't expect me to be a problem. Why wouldn't Don tell me about something like this?"

Jo thought about that. "I don't know," she said. "But just maybe he didn't want you to get involved. He knows you have a wife now."

"I didn't even get to tell him about the baby."

"How long had it been since you saw Don?"

"Quite a while. I thought he was working…well, he was, but not at what I thought he was working at. I guess he didn't like the ranch work."

"He is younger than you."

"Thanks a lot."

Just then, Connie came into the kitchen. "You sure are up early, you night owl," she said.

Mac kissed her. "I couldn't sleep anyway," he replied.

Connie looked at Jo. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Jo said. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"I guess I could say strange."

"Strange?" Mac asked. "What do you mean, strange?"

"Different then."

"Things are changing, Mac," Jo said.

"But not enough to let him cook breakfast," Connie declared.

"Hey, what's wrong with the way I cook breakfast?" Mac asked.

"Just get out of my kitchen."

Mac looked at Jo. "You heard the woman," Jo said.

"I think I'm outnumbered this morning," Mac said. "Where's Danny?"

"Hey, I'm on the phone," Danny said as he came from the stairway. "Lindsay says the baby is dancing this morning. It won't be long now."

"Yeah, you have to get back over there," Mac replied. "You have to be there with her when she goes into labor."

"I will be. She still has another month."

When breakfast was ready, they all sat at the table. Mac was thinking about what he wanted to do that day, while everyone else was talking about the beautiful view out the back windows. He intended to stir up more trouble today until someone gave in and gave him some information. He was glad Jo and Danny were here. He hoped Jo would stay there with Connie while he was gone.

After breakfast, Mac got his coat on, and then went into the bedroom where Connie was. "How long are you going to be gone?" she asked.

"I don't know," Mac said. "But I'm going to the sheriff's office and the police department too."

"You're not going to get arrested, are you?"

"Maybe not, but if I do, I'll call you."

"Mac."

Mac smiled. "I'm not going to ruffle their feathers that much."

They kissed and then Mac went to the garage. Danny came out there with him. "You don't have to go with me," Mac said. "I'm just glad you and Jo are here with Connie."

"Mac, I want to go with you," Danny said.

"I don't want you to get into trouble. You're close to being a father again and I don't want you in trouble."

"What are you about to do?"

"Nothing. Just stay here with Connie."

"Alright, buddy, but you be careful and let us know if you find anything. Jo's been on the computer with Adam trying to find out something."

"Yeah, I heard. Just do what you guys can from here."

Danny went back into the house to the office where Jo was on the computer. "I don't think he's just going down there to ask questions," he said.

"When have you ever known Mac to just ask questions?" Jo asked. "He wants answers."

"I'm not sure he's going to get any but I wish we could figure out how to find those answers."

Jo thought a moment. "I think I'm going to call Russ," she said. "Maybe he can help us in this."

"It's worth a shot because I'm lost," Danny said.

Jo got on the phone with Russ. "I'll see what I can find out," Russ said. "You say his body disappeared?"

"Yes," Jo said. "Before he even got to the hospital, the body was gone, and the hospital claimed the Mac's sister came to claim it."

"And I assume she is not out there."

"Right. She's in New York. She didn't know a thing about this until I told her."

"And Mac had no idea what Don was working on?"

"He told Mac to remember stuffed animals."

"Stuffed animals?"

"Yes. Don't let that get out."

"Don't worry. I'll look into this."

"Thanks."

Jo ended the call and looked at Danny. "We've forgotten about the stuffed animals," she said. "I'm going to get Adam to do some research on that."

"Good idea," Danny replied.

Mac arrived at the police department. He decided that he would go there first. However, they knew nothing about the case he was working on and did not want him snooping around there either, so Mac went over to the sheriff's office again.

"The sheriff is not here," the deputy at the front said.

"Where is he?" Mac asked.

"I'm sure he's at home getting some sleep. It's still early."

Mac paused a moment and then he saw a teddy bear sitting on a desk in the station. Then he remembered Don saying something about stuffed animals. He looked at the deputy. "Thanks," he said. "I'll just come back later."

Mac went out the door and got into his truck. He looked in the rearview mirror as he was leaving to see that he still had his tail. He had to figure out how to lose that guy, and that would not be easy since they were trained how to follow someone and not lose them. Mac noticed a car wash so he went into that. He knew there were two ways out behind that car wash, so when he got through it, he went to the right through the alley instead of going out the other way. He got out of the alley and floored it as he got out into the street and went to the left so maybe he could lose his tail. He turned left again and then right and he did not see anyone in his rearview mirror.

Mac knew where he was going now. He knew there were some warehouses in this town and he would go down there and find out what they were bringing in there. They were beside the river of course. He drove down there and parked out beside one of the buildings. He could hear heavy machinery running and hear people yelling too. He went to the building where he thought the most activity was going on. The front of the building was open like a garage so he looked around the corner and then walked in. He moved through the building and saw a lot of crates sitting around. He read the writing on the sides of them until he came to some in the back of the warehouse that said "stuffed animals". Mac looked around him and saw a crowbar lying on a shelf in the room. He got that and pried the top of one of the crates open. He looked inside to see that whatever was in this crate was covered with plastic. He looked around more to make sure no one was coming that way. He pulled the plastic back and saw that there were definitely teddy bears in there and they were in individual plastic bags.

Mac took one of the teddy bears out and sat down in the corner. He felt of the teddy bear and could definitely feel that it was filled with something that did not feel like stuffing. He took his knife out and cut the bear open and inside was a bag of white powder. Mac had a feeling it was not flour or baking soda. He thought this could not be a coincidence. It had to have something to do with what Don was working on. He thought about taking the bear with him but he thought he better not. After all if he was caught with those drugs, he could not prove that they were not his. He put the bear back into the crate and put the lid back on. Now, his trouble was in getting out of here.

Mac moved over to the doorway to the room he was in…it was not much of a room. It just looked like a bunch of lumber put together. He figured they separated the crates this way. Suddenly, he heard someone say, "I think you have an intruder in here."

Mac recognized that voice. It was the sheriff. He felt like kicking himself. Now they would have a reason to arrest him for trespassing. He moved back over to the crate where he had found the teddy bear. There was an area behind that crate so he crawled over into it and sat down to hide. He just waited to see what would happen.

"I haven't seen anyone around here," another voice said.

"His truck's out there at the parking area," the sheriff said. "I'm sure he's here somewhere. He's a trouble maker."

Mac frowned. He knew that sheriff knew something and he did not want him to find it out, and he thought it had something to do with those teddy bears. He got his phone out and sent Jo a message…

Jo was sitting at the computer when her phone beeped with a message. She looked and was surprised that it was from Mac, but she was even more surprised at what he said. He was in a warehouse where he found teddy bears with bags of drugs in them, and he was being hunted by the sheriff.

"What's wrong?" Danny asked.

"I think Mac's in trouble," Jo replied.

Danny looked at the message. He was not sure what they could do to help. "What does he want us to do? We can't go down there and demand that they let him go."

Jo grabbed the phone. "I'll just call. He has the name of the place there." She got the phone book and looked for the number. "I just hope I'm not too late when we find it."

Mac could hear the sheriff's heavy footsteps as he neared the room he was in. Then he heard someone on the loud speaker. "Joseph, you've got a call on line four," someone said. "It's urgent."

"I better go take that, sheriff," the man that Mac assumed was Joseph said. "Like I said, I haven't seen anyone around here, and I don't see anything damaged."

"You don't care if someone is snooping around here?" the sheriff asked.

"What can they hurt? All we have in here are a bunch of crates and they can't take one of those out without anyone seeing them."

"They could steal stuff out of them."

"What kind of trouble maker is this guy you're after?"

The sheriff was quiet a moment. "He's a detective, a real nosey one."

"Why is he here? Why is he a trouble maker? Is he working on a case?"

"Well, he's a retired detective and he has no right to be on a case here."

"Oh. Well, I have to go, sheriff."

Mac heard the other man walk away and then he listened. "I know you're in here, Taylor," Ben said. "You might as well come on out."

Mac stayed very still and kept his breathing under control. He heard the sheriff's footsteps as they got closer. "I know you're in here," Ben said. Then he noticed that the top of one of the crates was not closed completely. He moved over to it and moved the top. He could see that someone had been into the crate and had moved the plastic. "You playing with stuffed animals, Taylor?" He picked up the bear that was no longer in a bag, and then he saw that it had been cut open and he could see what was inside. "Alright, Taylor, come on out. We need to talk about this."

Mac could hear the urgency in the sheriff's voice then so he stood up. Ben just stared at him and held up the bear. "What do you know about this?" Ben asked.

"I know that the last thing my friend said to me was to remember stuffed animals," Mac said. "I've been trying to get you to listen to me."

"Come on, Taylor."

"Where?"

"To the station."

Mac figured he might as well cooperate, so he went outside with the sheriff. The sheriff got on his phone and called someone as he put the teddy bear that Mac had found in the car. He looked at Mac. "You know, you may have put your friend in even more danger," he said. "And you've put my other officers in danger too."

"You have other officers on this?" Mac asked.

"Yes, now get your truck and come on."

Mac went to his truck and followed the sheriff to the station. He led Mac to an interrogation room. "Just sit right there," Ben said.

"You can't arrest me," Mac said.

"Oh no? Sit down."

Mac wanted to protest but he sat down at the table. He knew he had no right to be in that building and they could arrest him for trespassing. He sat there at the table and waited while they did whatever they were doing. Then his phone buzzed on his side. He looked at it and it was a message from Jo wanting to know if he got out of there. He told her he did, but he did not tell her that he was in trouble.

Soon, the sheriff came back to the room and sat down across from Mac. "Just what all do you know about this case?" he asked.

"I know what I told you," Mac said.

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying."

"This is a very serious investigation, Taylor. Now, I want to know what all you know about it. Did your friend tell you something about this?"

"No. All he told me was about the stuffed animals, and he didn't do anything but say the name."

"You need to get out of this situation, tell your friends to go back to New York, and let us handle this."

"Just tell me where Don is," Mac said.

"I can't."

"Then I'm not going to stop."

"Come on."

Ben went over to the door. "Leave your phone here, and all your stuff from your pockets," he said.

"Are you arresting me?" Mac asked.

"No, but you're not taking anything in here with you."

Mac was not sure where they were taking him but he cooperated and went with the sheriff to another room in the place which was a room with a table and a filing cabinet. "What are we doing in here?" Mac asked.

Two other officers came into the room, and Mac backed away from them. "What's going on?" he asked.

"I'm sorry we have to do this to you," Ben said.

Mac got into a fighting stance. "You're not taking me anywhere," he declared.

"Now you just settle down. We handle rough prisoners all the time."

"I'm not a prisoner."

The two officers tried to grab Mac, but he threw one of them against the wall and tripped the other one, but Ben was there and grabbed Mac around his shoulders. He pulled Mac's jacket down around his arms so he could not move and then got him down to the floor where the other two officers helped him hold him down. Mac struggled so hard they thought they would not be able to hold him. "Get the shot!" Ben said.

"No!" Mac yelled. He struggled until he finally got turned over on his back even with Ben trying to hold him, but they had his arms.

Mac could see one of the deputies with a shot needle. "No!" he yelled. "You can't get away with this!"

"Just relax," Ben said.

"NO!"

Mac struggled even harder and Ben thought he would lose his grip on him but he sat down on Mac to keep him still. Ben thought it was like holding a calf when it was going to be branded but maybe worse. They finally got the shot into Mac and he glared at them but then he felt the drug taking effect. "What are you doing to me?" Mac asked but he had to relax.

"I'm sorry," Ben said. He watched as Mac passed out and then he stood up. He slung his hands. "He's tough."

"You can say that again," one of the deputies said. "Like holding a mule."

"Let's get him up, and be careful with him. After all, he is one of us."

"Then why didn't you just let him be in on this?"

"Because I know his wife. I'm not going to let him get into this."

They got Mac up and carried him out to one of their SUV's out in back. "You know where to take him," Ben said.

"Don't worry," Jeff, the deputy, said. "He'll be alright."

Ben watched as he left. He knew this might stir up even more trouble but he had to get Mac out of this situation.


	16. Chapter 16

When Mac woke up, he was lying on a bed. He felt incredibly sleepy but he heard a heart monitor. He did not think he was on a heart monitor. He did not remember being in an accident. He was not even sure where he was. As he woke up again, he knew he was hearing a heart monitor now. He opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling and everything looked a little blurry but it finally cleared up.

Mac rubbed his face and then he remembered what happened. He sat up and looked around him, and he realized he really was hearing a heart monitor, and it was attached to Don Flack. Mac got off the bed and hurried over to the bed that Don was lying on. Mac shook his head as he felt a little dizzy from moving so fast. "Don?" He was so glad to see Don, and the heart monitor was definitely attached to him. He touched Don's forehead and he felt warm, not cold. He knew someone had been taking care of Don. "Don, wake up."

Don moved his head slightly but he did not wake up. Mac felt happy, and worried, and just a little scared all at the same time. Why were they here? He looked at the IV's in Don's arms, and he could see that someone was taking very good care of him so they were not trying to hurt him. Mac sat down on the side of the bed. He thought that shot they gave him had not worn off yet. They had not hurt him much either, but he thought he had given one of those deputies some pain. He thought it must be serious if they thought they had to kidnap him and lock him up like this.

Mac went back to his bed and lay down. He was still not feeling well from that shot. He hoped it would wear off soon so he could think. Just as he thought he would fall asleep again, he heard someone unlocking the door. He sat up and watched to see who would come in. A woman came in but there was a man with her too.

"Where am I?" Mac asked. "Why is Don here, and why am I here?"

"Just relax," the woman said.

"You don't have any right to hold me here."

"You're not leaving until we're told to let you go."

Mac frowned. "I want out of here now!" he said. "You don't have a right to hold me or Don here."

"He's here for his own protection, and you're here to keep you from blowing everything out of the water."

"How long do you think you can keep me here? I have a wife. You can't keep me from my family."

"We can for now."

Mac realized the woman had brought him something to eat, and she was checking Don's IV's and everything. "How is he?" he asked.

"He's going to be fine," the woman said. "He's been touchy but he's improving."

"Why did they tell me he was dead? Do you know what that did to all of us?"

"I'm sorry but I didn't have anything to do with that."

When she was done caring for Don, she went to the door. "Is there anything else you need?" she asked.

"Can't you at least let my wife know I'm okay?" Mac asked. "I don't want her worrying. She's pregnant."

"I'm sorry, but this will be over in a week or maybe two."

"A week or two?! You can't keep me here that long!"

"Just let us know if you need anything."

Mac went to the door but it was locked from the outside. "Hey!" he yelled. "You can't do this!"

There was no answer so Mac went back to his bed. He looked around the room, but the window had iron bars on the outside. He looked out the window and he could see mountains in the distance but it looked like he was on a ranch. He looked at Don. He had to be glad that he at least knew he was alright. He was not sure how to feel, and he knew Connie was going to be fighting mad when she found out he was missing. She would not only be mad at that sheriff, but she would be mad at him for worrying her too.

After lunch, Connie, Jo, and Danny were getting worried about Mac. They had all tried to call Mac, and of course, they did not get an answer. "Where could he be?" Connie asked.

"I don't know," Jo replied. "But he must be alright."

"Why is he not answering us?"

"I should have went with him," Danny said. "Why did I let him go by himself?"

Just then, the doorbell rang. Connie went to the door, and found that the sheriff was there, but she knew him. "Ben?"

"Yeah," Ben said.

"I didn't know you were sheriff in this county?"

"Yeah. I am. I'd like to talk to you."

Connie frowned. "Is this about Mac?" she asked.

"Now, don't panic. I just need to talk to you."

Connie wanted to burst into tears, but she let Ben in. He saw Jo and Danny there. "Can I talk to you in private?" Ben asked.

"Well, I don't care for them hearing anything you have to say," Connie said.

"I would rather just tell you."

"If this is about Mac Taylor, you can't get closer to family than us," Jo declared.

"Alright," Ben said. "I want you to know that Mac is safe, and so is Don Flack. Don't go looking for them, and don't try to get involved in this situation. We're on a very serious case, and we had to take Don into protective custody, and we had to take Mac too because he would not let this go."

"Why didn't you just tell him that?" Connie asked.

"I wouldn't be telling you if…well, he didn't want you to worry about him because you're pregnant. Please, just stay out of this."

"Where is Mac and when will he be back?"

"It will be at least a week."

"A week? You let him go right now! If he knows this, he will stay out of it."

Ben shook his head. "That's not going to happen now. He was sneaking around in that warehouse down there. He was just lucky that none of them saw him. That's why I got him out of there. These are dangerous people we're dealing with. Now, just stay out of it. Mac is safe and so is Don so that should be enough for you."

"No it's not enough for me!" Connie said. "I want my husband back here!"

Ben sighed. "I can see why you two got together. You're just alike. You stay out of it or you'll wind up locked up too. I just came here to ease your tension."

Ben went to the door. Jo and Danny did not know what to say but they were glad that Don was safe and Mac too. "How is Don doing?" Jo asked.

"He's going to be fine," Ben replied. "But he wouldn't be if we weren't protecting him right now. That's why we let it appear that he was dead."

"But you don't have any public records of his death," Jo said.

"Not yet. You know that takes a few days. Just go along with the plan will you?" Ben put his hat on. "I'll be in touch."

Connie was angry as she watched him walk out the door. She slammed the door and turned to Danny and Jo. "Can they just take him like that?" she asked.

"They can in this situation," Jo said. "At least we know they're safe."

"But where?"

"Don't worry."

Connie knew she could not keep from worrying. She wanted her husband there with her, not hidden somewhere. When he got back there, she would…well, she supposed she would kiss him all over first and then she would give him a piece of her mind.

"Oh, I better call Russ and tell him to stay out of this," Jo said. "I sure don't want to mess up anything." She went to the office.

Danny looked at Connie. "Don't worry," he said. "Mac will be alright."

"A whole week," Connie said. "I feel lost."

"I'm afraid Jo and I have to go back tomorrow. We were supposed to…" Danny sighed. He felt like he did not even know why he was here. It had been one big whirlwind since they got there and they could not really do anything because they had no authority there.

"Well, I think I'm going to lie down."

Connie went to her room and lay down on the bed. She could not keep from crying. She hated the idea of being away from Mac for a whole week. She did not even know where he was.

Mac was lying on his bed again. There was nothing else to do there except watch TV. He turned the TV on and scanned through the channels. He found a football game and decided to watch that. It had been a while since he just watched a game. He was always busy doing something.

"Who's playing?"

Mac was startled and sat up, and he saw that Don was looking that way. He went over to Don's bed. "You're awake," Mac said for nothing better to say.

"Where are we?"

"You're in protective custody. I'm…just in custody because I have a busy nose."

Don closed his eyes. "You never did know how to stay out of anything."

"They told us you were dead, and then your body disappeared. I couldn't just let that go."

"It's a dangerous situation."

"So I noticed."

"I'm sorry I got you involved in this, Mac. You have a wife now and…"

"Don't worry about that. I'm the one who got myself into this."

"So what are they saying about me?"

"Oh, I think you're too stubborn to die."

"I hope so. I haven't found that dream yet."

"You'll find it, Don."

Mac watched him fall asleep again. When they got out of this, he was going to have a serious talk with Don. He wanted him to get out of this and stay out. He went back to his own bed and lay down to watch the game which was still in the first half. He thought this was going to get very boring if he had to stay in this room for a whole week.

The next morning, Don woke up again. The woman who was taking care of him even fed him his breakfast since he was awake and able to eat. Mac watched her a moment. "Why are you here like this?" he asked.

"It's my job," she said. "He needs someone to take care of him until he can get up again."

"What is the extent of his injuries?"

"I'll just say this…he was very lucky."

Mac did not put much store in luck. He thought there was just more to it than that. He ate some more of his own food as he thought of how his life had changed in the last few months. He had to admit, he had fallen for Connie fast. He remembered when he told her his middle name. She had tried not to laugh but had lost that battle, and then she really had an attack of the giggles when he told her what they called him in the Marines. She had even called him "Lulu" a few times, as a term of endearment. He frowned as he thought about not seeing her for a whole week. He missed her already, and he was still a newlywed after all. He supposed he would just have to do a lot of exercise.

That evening, Jo and Danny took Connie to town to eat. They wanted to take in some of the cuisine in this area, although they had eaten some very good meals at Mac and Connie's house, and Danny took in the cuisine when he came to Montana with Lindsay. Jo had suggested that they go out because she wanted to get Connie's mind on something else.

They went to a restaurant that specialized in the normal thing there. The smells in the place were wonderful. "If this tastes as good as it smells, we're in for some good food," Jo said.

"It is that good," Connie replied. She folded her arms as she almost expected to look up and see Mac standing beside her. She did not like going anywhere without him.

"So, do you have any names picked out for the baby?" Jo was trying to get Connie to talk and stop thinking about Mac being gone.

"Not really. We haven't talked about it."

"Maybe you should name one of them after Mac's middle name."

Connie looked at Jo and realized she was joking. Connie smiled. "He hates his middle name," she said. "I think that is the one thing that he can't stand about himself."

"Oh, I think there are more things than that. Have you ever noticed that he is incredibly shy? I used to wonder how he did that job as head of the crime lab."

"He is a little shy, but then so am I until we have to not be."

Jo could see the sadness on Connie's face, and she knew nothing was going to alleviate that until Mac was back. The hostess showed them to a table. Danny sat on one side of the booth and Jo and Connie sat on the other. "Danny can look like he has two dates," Jo said with a smile.

"Hey, as long as they're you two, that's alright with me," Danny replied.

Connie knew they were trying to make her feel better but she could not stop thinking about Mac. However, she knew Mac would want her to be happy because he had sent her that message by the sheriff so that she would not be worrying. She supposed it could be worse…she could be wondering what had happened to him. She looked at Jo. "So, what's it like living in a big city like New York?" she asked.

"Noisy," Jo said. "There's always something to do. There are always people around, walking, driving. It's fun sometimes but sometimes it's irritating."

"I've always lived in the quiet. Mac said he would take me to New York someday but I guess that will be a while yet now that I'm pregnant."

"You know, just because you're pregnant doesn't meant that you can't do anything."

"I know, but I'm not sure I would want to go that far from home right now. I'm a little nervous."

"Just remember, this is very natural, and you're a strong young woman, and you have a wonderful husband."

Connie smiled. "I know. I just wish I could see him right now."

They soon ordered and waited for their food. Connie looked out the window and remembered the night she and Mac had sat at the haystack. She had finally convinced him to kiss her that night, or at least to kiss her seriously. She remembered how afraid he was to let his feelings show, but he had certainly gotten over that…except when he was sad about something. He did not like to show sadness. Well, she would be ready for him when he came back home…whenever that would be. Ben had not even been sure when he would be back. She would just have to be strong and be waiting for him when he came back.


	17. Chapter 17

The next day, Jo and Danny went back to New York, and Connie was home alone. She put another log on the fireplace. When Mac was around, she never had to do that. She supposed she could not depend on him so much but it was easy to depend on him.

Connie looked around the empty, lonely house. There was not much for her to do but she supposed she could dust the house. There was always dust.

While Connie was doing that, the doorbell rang. She wondered who that was. She went to the door and Jim was there. "Morning," he said.

"Good morning, Jim. What are you doing here?"

"Well, I guess I wanted to see my sister."

"Come in."

Jim went in and they hugged each other. "So, how are you feeling?" he asked.

"I feel…" Connie sighed. "I feel lost."

"Ben told us what happened. Mom said tell you that you can come and stay there with them until Mac gets back. I wanted to come and make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine. I can't just run to Mom and Dad every time something happens."

"Why not?"

Connie looked at him. "Well, I'm a married woman now. I…"

"You're not running to them. It would help you while you're in this situation if you were there with them."

"I like my home, Jim."

"I'm not telling you to go, I'm just telling you what Mom said."

"I know."

"So, you're going to have a little baby, huh?"

Connie nodded. "What do you think about your little sister having a baby?" she asked.

"I think it's pretty weird. The whole thing about you being married and all is pretty weird."

"Weird? Jim."

Jim smiled. "Well, it is. But since Samantha and I are married, I guess it's not so weird."

Connie laughed. "You're so good with words, Jim."

They sat down on the couch. "Just remember that Mac will be back," Jim said.

"I know, but it's so hard to think of not seeing him for a whole week."

"Just remember it's hard for him too."

Connie shook her head. "It just makes me so angry," she said.

"What?"

"That he went out there and got himself involved in something like this. Some of the time I just think I want to scream and yell at him and then I miss him so bad…"

"I'm sure he didn't intend to get into this."

"You don't know him like I do. He couldn't stand to just wait and see what happened. No! He had to get involved and get answers. Well, I guess he got his answers!"

"I'm sure when he gets back, you won't want to yell at him."

"Maybe not but I might not be waiting here with open arms either."

"Yes you will. And don't sit here in this house all week. Come over to see Mom and Dad, and hey, you might even come and see your old brother."

Connie smiled. "Okay. I'll try."

"Try? Is it that hard for you to find a few minutes to come and see your brother?"

"I guess I need to go and see Walt too."

"Yeah, he's been a little worried about you. We would both feel better if you weren't here alone."

"Why? No one's after me."

"Maybe not." Jim looked out the back windows. "I think it's going to rain today. The weatherman talks like it's going to be a big one."

"I heard," Connie said. "And then it all turns to snow."

"Uh huh. It might all be snow."

Connie was silent a moment. "I guess I could stay with someone some of the time," she said. "The house is so quiet. I know Mac is not always here and not always in the house, but I always know he's coming back."

Jim frowned and put his arm around Connie. "Maybe it won't be as long as they think," he said.

"What if it's even longer?"

"You'll make it, and besides, at least you know he's safe."

"I guess that is a little consolation."

"Sure. They could have not told you anything."

Mac was pacing back and forth in the room. He hated being closed in like this. There was nothing to do and all he could think about was Connie. He missed her and he did not like being kept here against his will. He had thought of trying to escape but he figured that would just get him into trouble.

"Stop that pacing," Don said. "You're making me dizzy."

Mac stopped and folded his arms as he looked out the window. "I don't know if I can stand being in this room for a whole week," he said. "They don't really have a right to keep me here."

"Well, I think this is better than being in a hospital. At least it's quiet."

Mac shook his head. "Maybe for you."

"Hey, relax. We'll be out soon."

Mac looked at Don and then got down and did some pushups. He always tried to exercise when he was miserable. Next, he ran in place trying to get his heart rate up. Exercise always helped one's feelings. Don watched Mac, and he wished he was able to get up and exercise too.

When the nurse came in again, and her name was Lucy, Mac asked her if they could go out of that room. "I'm sorry," she said. "You're supposed to stay in here."

"Why?" Mac asked.

"That's my orders."

"I don't think I can stand being in this room for a whole week."

"Are you claustrophobic?"

Mac considered that a moment. "Well, no, but I might get that way if I have to keep staying in this room."

"If you get that way, just let me know."

Mac sat down on his bed. He knew she was not going to listen to his complaints. He watched as she started to check on Don. Mac got up and eased over to the door which was not locked. He opened the door and looked out right into the face of the man who was guarding the door. "Where you going, Taylor?" the man asked.

"I guess I was looking for the bathroom," Mac said.

Suddenly, Mac darted to the right and ran down the hallway. "Hey!" the guard yelled. "Come back here!"

Mac kept running, wondering who else was in this house…and it was a house. He knew now that he must have been right…he was on a ranch. He ran out of the hallway which led into a large living room, and there were two other men in there. Mac almost slid off his feet as he saw them and tried to stop, and then the one from the hallway was right behind him. Mac darted away from him and ran into the next part of the house which was the kitchen, and he saw that there was another door out there. He ran to the door and tried to get it unlocked, but they grabbed him before he could get the door open.

Mac tried to get away from them but they got him down in the floor. "Now, listen, Taylor," the guard from the hall said. "You better not try this again."

"I want out of this house!" Mac said. "I want to go home to my wife!"

"You're not going anywhere today! Now, come on."

"NO!"

Mac tried to get away from them again but they wrestled him down to the floor again. "We don't want to hurt you, Mac, but you're starting to become a pest," one of them said.

"Let me go then!" Mac said. He did not want to give in but he did not have a choice. He finally just stopped fighting. "Okay!"

They got Mac up and he just looked at them. "I may have to stay here but I sure don't have to be happy about it," he said.

"Nobody said you were going to be happy about it, but you still have to stay."

Mac frowned. "Why do I have to stay in that room all the time? If I promise not to try to run away, can I stay in here a while?"

The three guards looked at each other and then at Mac. "I don't think you can be trusted," one of them said.

"Why? You don't even know me."

"We were told to keep you in that room."

Mac sighed. "I'm not a criminal," he pointed out.

"You'll be out of here before you know it."

"Hey, Mike, let him stay in here a while. Maybe he'll want to play checkers with me."

Mike rolled his eyes. "You and your checker games," he said. He looked at Mac. "You can stay in here a while but if you try to get away, we'll tape you in a chair and set you in a room by yourself."

"Yes sir," Mac said with spite.

"Don't push me."

They took Mac back into the living room. He was not sure this was better but at least he was out of that room. "I'm Greg," the one with the checkers said. "Have a seat."

Mac was not sure he wanted to play checkers but he sat down. At least the guy had helped him not to have to stay in that room.

Mac sat down. "What about Don in there?" he asked. "Unlock that door and stop treating him like he's a prisoner."

Mike gave Mac a tolerant look. "Alright, but you better not cause anymore trouble," he said.

"I'll try not to," Mac replied.

Mac looked at the checkers game that was on the table. He had not played checkers in a very long time. He made the first move and then waited for Greg to make a move. However, Greg sat there and stared at the board as though they were in the middle of the game and it took a lot of thought to make a move. "You like checkers, huh?" Mac asked.

"Yeah," Greg said. "It's a strategy game."

Mac thought this might be a long game if he was going to take that long for every move. "You ever played Chess?"

"Sure. We'll do that one next." Greg leaned on the table. "You like to play cards? I get bored on these stake-outs…or that's what I call them."

"I see."

Mac sat through what he thought was the longest checker game he had ever been involved in, and then it was on to Chess. He wondered how long this game would last, but at least he was doing something besides lying in that room. He yawned as he waited for Greg to make a move.

The nurse came in there. "Your friend wants to see you," she said.

"Okay," Mac replied. He looked at Greg. "I'll be back."

"Take your time," Greg said.

Mac thought Greg must have the patience of Job. He went down the hallway to Don's room. "Hey, Don, what's the matter?" Mac asked.

"I was wondering if you were okay," Don said.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I've been in there playing checkers and chess with Greg."

"Greg?"

"Yeah. He's one of our guards."

"Oh. Well, I got kinda worried about you."

"I'm alright. I guess it was kinda stupid for me to try to run off like that."

"I don't blame you. I'm tired of being in this room too."

"You just rest. Maybe we'll be out of here in a few days. I hope we will."

"Me too. I know you miss your wife."

"Speaking of Connie, there's something I haven't even told you yet. She's going to have a baby."

Don would have sat up if he could have. "You're kidding," he said.

"No. We had just found out the night before you came to the house."

"Oh. I guess I ruined that happy news."

"No you didn't. I'm telling you now."

"Congratulations, Mac. I'm happy for you, and I wish you weren't in this situation."

"Well, that's not your fault. It's mine. I should have just listened to the sheriff and stayed out of it, but you know me. I have to have straight answers."

"Yeah. Your nickname should have been The Bulldog."

Mac shook his head. "That would have been a lot better than the one I had…" Mac stopped short at that. He realized he was about to tell Don what his middle name was and the teasing he had always endured.

"The one you had when?" Don asked.

"Nothing," Mac said.

"Aw come on, it can't be that bad."

Mac looked at him. "Are you kidding? It is that bad."

"You can't keep something like that away from your best friend, can you?"

Mac sighed. "Do you know my middle name?" he asked.

Don scowled. "No, I don't think I've ever heard it," he said. "Why?"

"Well, it's Llewellyn."

Don tried not to laugh. "It's what?" he asked holding back a grin.

"You heard me."

"So, your name is…"

"Yeah, my name is Mac Llewellyn Taylor." Mac folded his arms. "You might as well go ahead and laugh before you bust a gut."

Don did laugh. "And you had a nickname for that?" he asked still laughing.

"I think I'm going back in there to finish my chess game."

"Oh, come on, now. You're not going to leave me in suspense like this are you?"

"I guess it'll give you something to look forward to."

Don laughed. "Hey, wait a minute," he said as Mac walked out the door.

Mac went down the hall to the living room. Greg was still waiting for him. "It's your move," he said.

"Okay," Mac replied. He sat down in his seat again and looked at the chess board. He had played this game when he was in college, and had even been in the Chess Club. He rolled his eyes as he thought some people might think that was nerdy but he supposed he was a nerd. Playing that game helped his concentration anyway.

Mac moved one of his chess pieces and then looked at Greg who seemed not to have a care in the world. "How long you been a cop?" Mac asked.

"Fifteen years," Greg answered.

"Have you always lived here?"

"Yep. Born and raised here, joined the force."

Greg made a move on the chess board, and then Mac stared at the pieces. "You married?" Mac asked.

"No," Greg said. "I never wanted to get married. I figured I shouldn't worry anyone more than I worried my mother already."

Mac thought this guy seemed very content with his life. "Are you always this calm?" he asked.

Greg looked at him. "Might as well be," he said. "What do I have to be upset about? I've realized that you might as well just take the situations you're in and live with it."

"I guess that's a good way to look at it."

"Why? Do you think you're bored here?"

"I'm bored out of my mind."

"That's why I play games. When you concentrate on something, you forget to be bored and you stop thinking about what you're missing."

Mac moved one of his pieces. "Your move." He knew it would take Greg a while to make a move. "Can't we get something to drink around here besides water?"

"There are sodas in the fridge in there," Greg said. He looked at Mac. "But don't try to get out that door again, or I might show you that I can get upset."

Mac just stared at him a moment. "I wouldn't dream of it," he said and went to the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator door and found that it was full of food and soda, and even beer. He took a soda from the fridge and opened it. He looked in the cabinets and found a bag of Cheetos. He had a weakness for Cheetos so he took those into the living room too.

"Hey, I'll take some of those," Greg said.

Mac set the bowl he had brought on the table and poured some of the Cheetos into it. He hoped he would not have to sit here like this the whole time he was here. He was not sure this was better than being in that room, but at least he was not locked in.

After a week and a half, Mac thought he was going to be sick if he did not get out of that house. He had already been sick twice and he thought it was something he had eaten. Don was much better now and walking around the house. He had even played a few games with Greg.

Mac was lying on the bed staring at the ceiling. He did not feel very well but he was not sick now. He thought he was just so bored that he felt bad. He wanted to see Connie. He had missed her so badly some of the time that he just lay there and stared out the window. He had not been able to talk to her or anything.

At around lunch time, Ben arrived at the house. Mac was sitting at the table playing a card game with Greg when Ben walked in. He had not been there before. Mac stood up. "Is it over?" he asked.

Ben looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, it's over," he said. "You and Don are free to go."

Mac felt like he was dreaming, and he thought he had dreamed about this more than once while he was in there. "Just like that?"

"Well, you haven't taken a liking to this place, have you?"

"No." Mac laid his cards down. "I'm ready to go."

"Get Flack. We have your truck at the station."

Mac went down to the room where Don was lying on the bed. "Don, come on. We're getting out of here," Mac said.

Don sat up. "What?"

"Ben is here. We're getting out of here and going home."

"Now?"

"Do have to write you out an invitation? Yes, now."

Don definitely did not have all his strength back yet so Mac had to help him as they walked out to the sheriff's car. Don was not sure he was ready for a car ride but he would do it to get out of there.

Mac was glad to see his truck when they got to the station. There was snow on the ground now but it was not on the roads in town. "I'm sorry I had to do that to you," Ben said. "But I didn't want anything to happen to you or to Connie."

Mac looked at him. "You know Connie?"

"Yes. We went to school together. You were lucky that those guys didn't see you snooping around that warehouse. You better take advice next time."

"I guess I'm not going to get any details about what happened."

"No, not at this time."

Ben shook Don's hand. "Thanks for your help," he said.

"I don't think I'll be working for you anymore," Don said. "I think I'm gonna just find something else."

"That's up to you."

"I know."

Mac and Don got into Mac's Avalanche. "So, we're finally going home," Don said. He looked at Mac. "You excited?"

Mac looked at him. "I want to see my wife."

"Let's go. I sure won't get in your way."

As Mac was driving, he thought about seeing Connie when he got home. He could not wait to get his arms around her again…

Mac drove into the driveway, and just sat there a moment and looked at his house. He got out and helped Don out of the truck, and they went to the front door. Mac unlocked the door and they went in. Mac thought he almost dropped Don when Connie came from the hallway. "Hey, set me down here on this couch and go kiss your wife," Don said. "I won't look."

Mac looked at him as though he had forgotten that he was in the room. He helped Don over to the sofa and Don sat down. "I'll cover my eyes," Don said as he covered his face.

Mac looked at Connie and smiled. He went toward her but she ran and threw herself into his strong arms. He held her tightly for a moment but then he kissed her so passionately, she thought she could just pass out right there. "I missed you so much," Mac whispered.

"I missed you too," Connie whispered. "I was hoping…and hoping, and I thought you would be alone when you got here."

"I have to get Don down there to a room, and then I'll be with you."

"I'll be waiting for you," Connie said as she looked into his beautiful green eyes.

Mac thought he would collapse, but he watched as she went back into the hallway. Then he went over to Don. "Let me get you down to one of those rooms," he said.

"You know, if I had something like that waiting for me, I wouldn't want you here either," Don remarked.

"Shut up."

Don laughed a little but then he grimaced. It still hurt to laugh. He had always heard that laughter was the best medicine, but he did not think it was when one had been shot. Just as they were about to get to the door to the stairway, the doorbell rang. Mac looked toward the door and he could see his plans with Connie going down the drain. He went over to the door and opened it.

"Sam?" Don said as he saw his sister at the door.

Mac was surprised. "Well, come on in," he said.

Samantha went into the house. "I came over here a few days ago and they told me you were here," she said.

"I was about to get Don down to his room," Mac said.

They all went down to the room the Don would be staying in. "There's another room right down there for you too, Sam," Mac said.

"Thank you," Samantha replied.

Don lay down on the bed and sighed. He looked at Samantha. "It sure is good to see you, Sis," he said.

"You too," Samantha replied.

Don looked at Mac. "I thought your wife was waiting for you," he said.

Mac smiled slightly. "Well, you guys just make yourselves at home."

"We will, now get out."

Mac shook his head and then went out to the living room. He ran the rest of the way to the bedroom. No one was there to see him anyway.

Samantha sat down on the side of the bed that Don was lying on. "I thought you had given up on this cop thing," she said.

"Well, I think I just got bored," Don replied.

"Do you know how I felt when they told me you were dead?"

Don frowned. Samantha looked at him and he thought it was the first time he had ever seen his sister cry since they had been adults. He sat up and hugged her. "I guess we only have each other now, don't we?" he asked.

"Yeah, and you better not go off and leave me," Samantha said. She looked at her brother. "I guess I haven't told you this in a really long time, but I do love you."

"I love you too. And don't you forget it."

Much later, Connie started to get out of bed, but Mac grabbed her and pulled her back into the bed. "Don't get up," he said.

"I was going to get us something good to eat," Connie replied.

"I'm not hungry."

Connie almost laughed as Mac started kissing her back. "I am hungry," she said.

"Can I just eat you?"

"No."

Mac held her close to him. "I thought I would die," he said. "I got tired of exercising and playing cards and board games. You know I think there is a reason that they're called _board _games. You know that's the same as the word bored."

Connie laughed. "You played board games?"

"Yeah, I did. I guess Don got tired of watching me run back and forth across that room too and that guy, Greg, was obsessed with games. I thought I was going to go batty."

Connie turned over toward him. "Did you miss me that much?"

"Don't you know now?"

"I guess so."

Mac rubbed her stomach. "How do you feel?" he asked.

"Sick," Connie said. "I need something to eat."

"You didn't tell me you felt sick."

"I feel sick all the time now except when I'm hungry."

"Oh."

Connie smiled at him and kissed him. "I love you so much."

Mac just looked into her blue eyes. "I love you too."

Connie could see the love in his eyes for her. She just hugged him and savored the feeling of his arms around her. "I'll go get something that we can eat here in bed together," she said.

Mac nodded and kissed her hand as she got out of the bed. He lay there and waited for Connie to come back, and she came back with a bowl of grapes. "Oh, those look so good," Mac said.

Connie got into the bed and set the bowl between them. "I'm going to feed you," she said.

Mac propped up on his elbow. "Maybe I'll feed you." He kissed her. "I'm sorry I got into that situation. I left you alone here for all that time."

"I was pretty angry with you, and I was angry at Ben, but I realized why you did it, and I realized why he did what he did too. I spent time at Mom and Dad's house, went to see Jim."

"I'm just glad that's over. I don't want to get involved in anything else…unless I just do some private investigating for someone."

"Mac, I can't believe you are saying that."

"It wouldn't be any time soon."

Connie put a grape in his mouth. "Stop talking, will you?" she asked. "I don't want you going off anywhere."

"I'm not going anywhere right now. I intend to stay right here with you until we get sick of each other."

Connie laughed. "That could be the rest of our lives," she said.

"You're right."

Connie kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you too."


	18. Chapter 18

It was the week of Halloween and Mac was at the store shopping for Halloween decorations that Connie wanted. She had not felt like going to the store since her "morning sickness" seemed to last all day long.

Mac smiled as he thought of the fact that he had never decorated much for holidays except when he put up an American flag. There were all sorts of lights for Halloween with little orange pumpkins on them, and even some with little green goblins on them. He got one of both and put them into the cart.

"Mac Taylor," someone said.

Mac looked around to see Ben coming up to him. "Morning, Sheriff," he said.

"Can't you call me Ben?"

"I guess."

"You're not sore at me are you?"

Mac shook his head. "No, I guess not. I'm just trying to find some decorations for Connie's big Halloween decoration blast."

"She always did love holidays."

Mac stopped and looked around at Ben. "You know Connie?" he asked.

"Yeah, we went to school together."

"Oh." Mac figured he should expect people in this area to know each other since it was a small town.

"She always wore some holiday decoration, no matter what the holiday was. She liked them all, and she always decorated her parents' house too. I remember one time I was over there and she had this…"

"You were at her house?"

"Yeah. We were friends."

"Funny she's never said anything about you."

"I guess there's nothing to say."

Mac looked at Ben. "Were you looking for me?" he asked.

"No, but I saw that big Avalanche out there and I figured you were in here," Ben said.

"So, you were looking for me."

"No, but I did figured you were in here."

"But you're wanting to see me about something?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Well, you found me, so what is it?"

"I wanted to tell you about this guy who's looking for a private detective," Ben said. "He would pay you well."

"Me?" Mac asked with surprise. "Now, where do you get the idea that I want to be a private detective?"

"You were giving a pretty good impression when you were butting into my investigation."

"That was just my detective instincts."

"And they're on vacation now?"

"Let's just say I'm trying to keep a tighter lid on them. Connie doesn't want me out chasing some bad guy." Mac picked up a fake spider web and put it into the cart.

"You could at least think about it."

Mac looked at Ben. "Are you the same guy who a few days ago didn't want me anywhere near his investigation, and who didn't want me investigating anything in his county?"

"This is different. I was afraid you were going to expose our investigation, and you were close. Surely you can understand that."

Mac sighed. "Yeah, I can, but now, you're wanting me to get involved in something?"

"Well, since you have a baby on the way, I figured you could use some money."

"You're well-informed, aren't you?"

"I believe it was you who told me your wife was pregnant."

"Oh, so now you think I'm jealous."

"Jealous of what? I hadn't seen Connie in years until this happened."

Mac stopped and faced Ben since he thought he had everything they needed to decorate. "Connie and I love each other, and part of love is trusting each other," he said. "Now, why don't we talk about this private investigation you're talking about?"

"Unless you're interested in it, I can't tell you much about it, but it involves this rich guy and a bunch of jewels," Ben said.

Mac stared at him a moment, and Ben could see his curiosity. "Sounds interesting, doesn't it?" Ben asked.

Mac knew Connie would be giving him an angry look right now for even talking about that. "What about jewels?" he asked.

Ben smiled. "You know, why don't you get Don and come down to my office and I'll fill you in and let you go talk to the guy?" he asked.

Mac blew out a breath. "I better not," he said. "When you get involved in stuff involving money, you can get into a lot of trouble."

"Well, it's available if you can get Connie to let you do it," Ben said with a smile.

Mac frowned. "I'll have you know that I don't have…" He knew he would have to talk to her about this. "Never mind." He was glad he had someone to talk to about things. "For your information, marriage is a great pleasure to me, and I like having someone else to think about."

"I'm sure you do."

"I'll let you know what 'we' decide."

Ben could not help but smile. He was glad Connie had found a good man, although there had been times that he thought maybe he would ask her out again, but it was too late now.

Mac finished his shopping with a cantaloupe. Connie was craving one today. He wondered what all she would crave before she had this baby. She had already been craving grapes but today it was cantaloupe. Cantaloupe was one of those fruits that had to be bought fresh, but he was sure they would run out soon.

Mac went out to his truck and put his packages in the back seat. It was starting to snow again and he shivered as he put the cart away. As he drove home, he thought about what Ben had told him. Jewels. What could he be investigating about jewels? He wondered if Don would want to get involved in this. He had tried to get Don to come and stay with them, but he wanted his own apartment, so they had not seen him in about a week. Mac just hoped he was not getting into something else.

Mac got home and got the packages out of the truck and went into the house. Connie was lying on the couch when he walked in. "You okay?" Mac asked.

"I'm wonderful," Connie said with a smile. "Sick and all."

Mac smiled. He was glad she was happy. He set the bags down on the coffee table. "Well, I got all the stuff you wanted, even your cantaloupe."

"I have a plan," Connie said.

Mac looked at her. "Why do I have a feeling that that has something to do with me working?" he asked.

Connie laughed. "No, it has something to do with you taking me out to dinner."

"Oh. Well, I can probably handle that."

"I'm going to invite Veronica, and you're going to invite Don."

Mac's smile faded. "Are we fixing them up?" he asked.

"I don't know, but we're going to get them into a position to see each other and talk to each other. The rest is up to them."

Mac thought about that a moment. "I've never liked doing this to people because I didn't want anyone doing that to me when I was single."

"Mac, sometimes you just have to help people. Maybe this will be the happiness that Don is looking for. Veronica needs a good man, and he needs a good woman. How can she resist those beautiful blue eyes?"

Mac raised his eyebrows. "I didn't know you were paying so much attention," he said.

"Now, who wouldn't notice his pretty blue eyes?"

"Nobody," Mac admitted. "I guess it's worth a try, but he might never speak to me again."

"And he might thank you for the rest of his life."

Mac took the cantaloupe out of the grocery bag. "Your fruit, Madam," he said.

Connie stood up. "Oh, I wish I didn't have to get up, but I guess this is just part of it," she said.

Mac kissed her on the forehead. "You're a tough woman."

"I have to be to be married to you."

"Am I that hard to deal with?"

"Sometimes, my love."

Connie took the cantaloupe to the kitchen and got a knife to peel it and cut it up. Mac took the Halloween decorations out of the bags. "Where do you want this stuff?" he asked.

"Outside," Connie said.

"Connie."

Connie could not help but laugh. Even though she felt sicker than she had ever felt in her entire life, she felt happy too. Mac came over there and put his arms around her and kissed her neck. "Now, you stop that," Connie said. "You know I've got a knife here."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to get you that excited."

"And just how excited is that?"

"So excited that you would forget that knife."

"I'm not going to forget this knife because I intend to eat this cantaloupe."

"I hope you're going to give me some."

"I'll give you a piece."

"Ha ha."

Just then, they heard the doorbell. "I'll get it," Mac said. He took his jacket off as he went to the door. He opened the door and Don was there. "Well, come on in, stranger."

"Stranger?" Don asked. "It hasn't been that long since I've been here."

"What you been up to?"

"Nothing much. I've been working on a ranch a little bit, feeding cattle and things like that, and helping harvest winter wheat."

"I'm glad Janie didn't plant any of that this time."

"So, what have you been doing?"

"I went to the store today and bought some Halloween decorations," Mac said. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to be putting them up later."

"Hello, Don," Connie said. "I'm just peeling this cantaloupe."

"She's been craving a cantaloupe," Mac said.

"Sounds good," Don replied.

"Well, come on, and you and I will get started on this stuff here while she inhales that cantaloupe."

"You're putting me to work?"

Mac smiled. "There's always work to do around here. We have to get busy on that stand of trees again soon too. I've cleared some more but it's hard work." He looked over at Connie. "Hey, Babe, we're going out to put up your decorations."

"Go ahead." Connie took a bite of the cantaloupe. "You know where I'll be."

Mac chuckled. "Enjoy it."

"Oh, I will. Don't worry."

Mac and Don went outside and Mac looked at the house to see where he thought the decorations should go. "You like doing all this?" Don asked.

"Sure," Mac said. He looked at Don. "I saw Ben today."

"Oh yeah? What was he having to say?"

"He had a proposition for you and me."

Don looked at Mac. "Like what?" he asked.

"Oh, some rich guy who's looking for a private detective, something to do with a bunch of jewels."

"And what did you tell him?"

"I didn't tell him anything yet. He thinks Connie tells me what to do."

Don smiled. "Does she?"

Mac looked at him. "You guys have the wrong impression," he said. "She's part of me now, and I don't just go off and do something without talking to her first. I want her opinion about things because it affects her too."

"Okay, Mac. I didn't mean anything by it."

"Good."

"Have you talked to Connie about this?"

"Not yet. I thought maybe I would ask you about it first and then I would have something to talk to her about."

"Private investigator, huh? How long will this last?"

"I don't know. I don't even know the details of the case."

"Oh, Mac, you know how things can get when you're dealing with a lot of money."

"Yeah."

Mac took his fake spider web out and Don helped him straighten it out. "I hate trying to put these things up," Don said. "They're like a real spider web…they wad up and stick to things."

"That's the point I guess," Mac said. "It's supposed to be like a real one."

They put the spider web on the porch, and stretched it from one corner of the porch to the other so that it covered one section. "What would be awesome about this is if someone was sneaking around here and ran into this and started yelling cause they thought they had hit a real one," Don said.

Mac smiled at that as he put the small spiders on the web. "I hope no one comes snooping around," he said.

"Yeah, me too, but if they're going to sneak around here, wouldn't it be awesome if that happened?"

"Maybe."

Mac finished with the web and then took the lights out. He entwined the two strands of lights together and hung them up like that. "How's that?" he asked. "That way, we have goblins and pumpkins together."

Don smiled. "You think you're going to be having a lot of trick or treaters?"

"I don't know. Connie likes all this so I'm doing it for her."

"Wait till you have that little bambino, and it's jumping up and down saying, 'Daddy, get me a costume'."

Mac's smile brightened. "It'll be an adventure."

"Is it scary? Knowing you're going to be a father?"

Mac stopped and looked out at the mountains. "It sure is," he said. "But it's exciting too."

"Sometimes I don't think I'll ever know that feeling."

"Don't give up, Don. Look at me."

Mac set a pumpkin on the porch. "I think I'm going to wind up carving that," he said.

"I used to carve a pumpkin every year, and my sister thought it had to be competition. She thought she could carve the most heinous and ugly, evil looking pumpkins in the world…and I guess she was right. I think she should have won some sort of competition for that."

Mac shook his head as he remembered carving plenty of pumpkins himself when he was young. "We had this pattern thing once that you punched these little holes in it and then when you were done, you followed the pattern. It was a lot easier that way."

"Hey, that's just cheating. We did ours by imagination. I never would have thought I would hear about Mac Taylor cheating."

"Cheating? That wasn't cheating, it was just enhancing my creative ability."

Don laughed at that. "Is that what you're doing now?" he asked.

"Shut up."

Mac finished with the decorations and they went into the house. Mac rubbed his hands together. "It's cold out there," he said. "You better appreciate all that."

Connie smiled and offered him a piece of the cantaloupe she was still eating. Mac took the piece. "Mmmm," he said. "Very good."

"Did you tell Don about our dinner plans?" Connie asked.

"No, I thought you were still making those plans."

"This Friday at Melvin's. Don, I want you to come and have dinner with us."

Don was stunned for a moment. "Okay," he said. "What's the special occasion?"

"Just dinner, but dress nice."

"Hey, I always dress nice for dinner with friends."

Mac looked at Don. "Melvin's is a nice place," he said.

"I've heard," Don replied. "I just haven't been there yet."

"You'll enjoy it, and hey, they even have a little dance there too."

"Oh, you're not going to try to get me into that line dancing, are you?"

"I think you'll like it. I do, and you know how stuffy and stiff I've always been."

Don laughed. "You're right."

Mac shook his head. "He would agree with that."

Don spent the rest of the day with them, and when he was leaving that night, Mac walked out to the car with him. "You want to go down there to see Ben in the morning?" Mac asked.

"Do you?" Don asked.

"You never know. It might be a real easy case. Maybe he just wants us to guard the jewels."

"You never know. Have you talked to Connie yet?"

"No, but I will."

"Sure. Just call me in the morning if you talk her into letting you risk your life again."

"Thanks a lot."

Don smiled. "Night, Mac."

"Night. Drive careful."

Mac went back into the house where Connie was still lying on the couch watching a movie on TV. He sat down beside her and put his cold hands under her shirt. Connie squealed at that. "OH, you!" she said. "Is that any way to treat the woman who is carrying your baby?"

Mac leaned over her on his hands and knees. "I can get you real warm," he said.

Connie smiled. "You're so dirty."

"Dirty? Why don't we make ourselves a pallet again and lay over there in front of that fireplace?"

"Why don't we just go get in the bed? I can watch this in there."

"We could just lay here on the couch. I don't want to go to bed yet."

"Then get over here behind me then."

Mac got behind her and they got comfortable under the blanket. Mac looked at the TV and he suddenly felt very warm and sleepy. He had thought he would talk to Connie about Ben's message but she was watching a movie and was quite interested in it.

Connie soon realized that Mac was asleep. She thought they might as well have gone to bed if he was going to sleep anyway. She snuggled closer to him and he moved a little. "Mac?" she whispered. "Mac?"

"What?"

"Don't you want to go to bed?"

"Not really."

Mac tried to wake up but he was just too sleepy. Connie finished watching her movie and then woke Mac up. "Come on, sleepy head," she said. "Let's go to bed."

Mac stretched and yawned. "Do we have to?" he asked.

"Yes. Come on."

Mac sat up. "I guess your movie is over," he said.

"Yes, now come on."

Mac got up and they went to the bedroom. He pulled the covers back and then got into some pajamas. He felt cold tonight. He got into the bed and soon Connie got in too. "Mac, are you asleep already?" she asked.

"No, not yet," Mac said. "There was something I wanted to talk to you about." He turned over to face her.

"Like what?"

"Will you hear me out before you jump all over me?"

"Okay."

"I saw Ben in the store today…" Mac scowled. "By the way, did you date him?"

Connie just stared at him a moment. "We went to the prom together, and we went out a couple of times before that. So?"

"Nothing, he was just talking about how much you loved the holidays when you two were younger and…"

"He did?"

"Yeah. He came into the store. I don't know if he was following me or what, but he seemed to know I was in the store. He said it was because of my big Avalanche but I don't know."

"And he talked about me?"

"Yeah, he even knew you were pregnant."

"He came to the house and told me that you were safe and that you couldn't come home."

Mac was quiet a moment. "He obviously cares about you," he said.

"Are you jealous?" Connie asked with surprise.

Mac looked at her, and her mouth dropped open. "You are!" she said. "I don't believe it. You're jealous of something that happened over ten years ago!"

"I didn't say I was jealous," Mac declared.

"But you are!" Connie laughed. "I can't believe it!"

"That is not what I wanted to discuss."

Connie lay back down on the pillow and gave him a pouty look. "Okay, what did you want to discuss?" she asked.

"You're just getting a real kick out of this, aren't you?" Mac asked.

"I sure am."

"Well, what he came in there to talk to me about was…and furthermore, I think he just wanted to rub it in my face that he had dated you."

"Why would he want to do that?"

"I don't know but, anyway, he said there was this rich guy who…now remember, you said you would hear me out."

"Just go ahead."

"He told me about this guy who wants a private detective. He's a rich guy and it's something about some jewels."

Connie was silent for a long moment while she just looked into Mac's eyes. "Aren't you going to say something?" Mac asked.

"A private investigator?"

"Yeah, and I would have Don with me."

"How much would you get paid for this?"

"I don't know yet but it would give us some extra money."

"Mac, we already have extra money."

"I know, but you never know when something might happen. We're about to have a baby and all."

"I see your point. Well, I don't want you getting shot or anything."

"I'll find out what the case is about before I take it."

"Oh, Mac, you're chomping at the bit."

"I guess I am. I just want to do something."

"Are you going to come home every night?"

Mac had to admit he had not thought of that. "I don't know. Like I said, I want to find out the details of it. I'm talking to you about it before I down go there at least."

"Right. I appreciate you doing that too."

Mac kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you too…but I can't believe you were jealous."

"And what about you? Don't you remember at the ranch when Camille decided to try to take me from you?"

"That was different. We weren't married then."

"We weren't married when you were dating Ben either."

"Mac!"

Mac laughed as she hit him with a pillow. "Now, don't be getting rough," he said. "Remember, you're in the family way."

Connie hit him with the pillow again, but Mac grabbed it this time, and then he pulled her down to him. "And what were you saying?" he asked.

Connie sat down on top of him and leaned over him. "I'm saying I don't like for you to be gone all night," she whispered.

Mac pushed her hair out of her face. "I don't want to be gone all night," he said. "I had all of that I wanted when I was in protective custody."

Connie kissed him. "Then if I let you go and talk to him about this, you're going to make sure you're home every night?" she asked.

"I'll do my best."

Connie smiled and then kissed him again. "Just think of all the things you'll be missing if you're not here."

"Why don't you show me some of them?"

"You mean you've already forgotten?"

"No, but I want you to refresh my memory."

"Mac Taylor."

Mac smiled. "I don't want to talk anymore," he said. He grabbed her and rolled over on top. "I should have just got in this bed naked."

"What's the fun in that?"

"Takes more time."

Connie laughed as he kissed her neck. She knew he had nothing to be jealous of and when she saw Ben again, she would give him a piece of her mind.


	19. Chapter 19

The next morning, Mac called Don and told him to meet him at the sheriff's office. He ate breakfast and then headed out. He realized he was feeling excited about this. He could hardly believe he wanted to get involved in this situation so badly but there it was. Connie was right…he was chomping at the bit.

Mac arrived at the sheriff's office and Don was waiting for him. Don got out of his car. "You ready for this?" he asked.

"I guess I am," Mac replied. "I just hope we're not tangled up in anything on Friday night. Connie will skin me alive."

Don laughed as they went into the sheriff's office. Mac thought they were more welcome there now, and Ben took them into his office. "Well, I see you talked it over with your wife," Ben said.

"Yeah I did," Mac replied. "Now, why don't you give us some more details about this so we can make up our minds whether we really want this job or not?"

Ben cleared his throat. "Okay." He took out a file with some papers in it and gave it to Mac. "That right there will tell you just about everything you need to know."

Mac and Don looked in the folder, and basically, the owner of the jewels wanted someone to transport the jewels for him because of his worry of them being stolen. "So, we have to transport the jewels to…" Mac looked at Ben. "New York?"

"Yeah, it's just maybe a two day job," Ben said.

"That could turn into more." Mac read more in the papers. "It also says here that he wants someone to guard them while they're in New York until they're secured in the museum."

"Yeah, but that won't take a long time."

"Oh yeah, they have to have a ceremony and make sure all the press is there so everybody will know there are millions of dollars in jewels being delivered, and then they have to show them so all the jewel thieves will get their mouths to watering."

"It's not as bad as all that," Ben said.

"Oh yes it is," Mac argued. "I've seen this stuff before, and I always wondered why they couldn't just tell about the jewels 'after' they were in the museum."

"Do you want the job or not?"

Mac looked at Don. "What do you think?" he asked.

"It sounds pretty easy to me," Don replied. "We'll get to visit New York, see our friends."

Mac shook his head. "Connie didn't know I would be going way over there, and I promised her that I would take her to New York some day."

"So why don't you take her with you?" Ben asked.

"Take her with me? I don't think that would be a good idea when we're transporting these jewels."

"No one will know you're transporting them."

"Except all the thugs who want to get them from us."

"It was just a thought. Put Connie on a different flight."

Mac thought about that. He was not sure she would want to go over there anyway but he supposed he could ask her. At least maybe he would get to see Lindsay before she had the baby which was a boy. "I'll get in touch with you before lunch," Mac said.

"Alright," Ben replied. "But this guy wants an answer before this evening because he will have to find someone else if you don't want the job."

"I'll give you an answer."

"Good."

Mac and Don stood up, and Ben walked them outside. "Tell Connie I said Hi," Ben said.

Mac looked at him. "Sure."

Don scowled as he got into his car. He thought he sensed a little tension between Mac and Ben. He wondered if Ben was teasing Mac about being married to Connie. Don knew if he was, that would not turn out well for his nose.

Mac drove back home to talk to Connie about that case he was wanting to take. "Honey, I'm home," Mac said when he walked in.

"That didn't take long," Connie said as she was coming from the kitchen.

Mac took off his coat and hung it up. "I have something to tell you," he said. "Come here."

They sat down on the couch and Mac opened the folder about the case. "This guy wants someone to take his jewels to New York," Mac said.

"New York?" Connie asked. "How long would you be gone?"

"Well, I don't know but that's what I want to talk to you about. I want you to go with me."

"To New York?"

"Yes, Honey, I wanted to take you over there, and this would be a good time."

"But Mac, you'll be working."

"Not the whole time. I'll get us a room in a luxury hotel and you can lay around there and relax while I'm working."

Connie thought about that. "Will this be dangerous?" she asked.

"I don't know," Mac said. "I wouldn't think it will be that dangerous. No one will know about the jewels."

"Then why is he wanting private detectives to take them over there for him? Why doesn't he hire a courier service?"

"Well, I guess there's a little danger in anything involving money."

"I guess it would be nice to see New York and where you worked."

"I would like to show you."

Connie smiled. "Okay, I'll go."

"Great. I'll let Don know, and then I'll let Ben know that we'll take this job."

"When does this start?"

"Next Monday."

"So we'll be able to go out for our dinner Friday?"

"I don't see why not," Mac said. "I shouldn't be doing anything until I have to pick up the jewels, unless I have to go one day and get a lecture about what I'm supposed to do."

"I think it will be fun to see New York, and just before the winter sets in hard."

Mac nodded. "It will, and I'll take you to see places."

"Are we having another honeymoon already?"

Mac smiled. "I didn't know our first one had ended yet," he said.

Connie smiled and put her arms around his neck. "I guess it hasn't."

They shared a long kiss and then the phone rang. Mac reached to get it. "Hello," he answered.

"Mac, did you talk to Connie yet?" Don asked.

"Yes, and she agrees. I'm going to get in touch with Ben and let him know, and Connie will be going with us."

"I figured that."

"You don't want her to go?"

"It doesn't bother me, but don't you think this could get dangerous?"

"Probably not, Don."

"Okay, I'll be ready when you are."

"Don't forget dinner Friday night."

"I won't."

Mac hung up the phone and looked at Connie. "What was that about?" she asked.

"Well, you heard it," Mac said.

"He doesn't want me to go?"

"No, he didn't say that. He's just a little anxious about the case."

"Oh, and he thinks I will get in the way?"

"No. He's just afraid it might get a little dangerous and he doesn't want you to get hurt, and I don't either, but I don't think it will come to that."

"I hope not."

"Now, don't get worried. I want you to go with me."

"Okay, I'll go with you."

"Good."

That Friday, which was Halloween night, Mac and Connie went to Melvin's, and Don met them there. "Well, here we are," Don said. "I didn't bring a date, cause I figured you guys had someone in mind for me."

Mac looked at him and then at Connie. "You see, you can't fool a detective," he said.

Don laughed. "So, who is this woman I'm supposed to meet?"

"She may be inside," Connie said.

They went into the restaurant and found that Victoria was inside sitting on a bench waiting for them. Veronica had turned down the invitation, so Connie had invited Victoria. She stood up. "Connie," she said. "It's about time you got here."

Don had to notice Victoria's long, black hair, and bright green eyes. She looked at him as Connie introduced them. "Hi," Victoria said.

"Hi," Don replied. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too." Victoria thought Don had very beautiful eyes.

They all got a table together and sat down in a booth. Mac felt like a heel. He thought maybe they should have gotten separate tables so that Don and Victoria could talk to each other but they were there now. "So, what have you been up to, Victoria?" Connie asked.

"Nothing much," Victoria replied. "I've been doing a lot of crocheting and sewing. That's my job this time of year."

"Right. What have you been making?"

"I crocheted an afghan for Mrs. Talbott. She loved it."

"I thought you made one for her last year."

"I did but this year she wanted one with green splashes in it."

"Victoria is very talented," Connie said. "She can even knit."

"I've seen you in there crocheting too," Mac said. "What were you making?"

"I was just crocheting some little booties."

Mac smiled. "For some little feet?"

"Yes. Even though the baby will be born in July, it will still need something warm."

"I agree."

As the night wore on, Mac and Connie went over to the dance floor and left Don and Victoria at the table alone. "I thought they'd never leave," Don said jokingly.

Victoria smiled. "So, what do you do for a living?" she asked.

"I was a cop for about fifteen years and I moved out here to find something else in life."

"Where did you live?"

"New York."

"I thought that sounded like a New York accent, then again, Connie told me you were from there."

"Just making conversation, huh?"

"Yeah, for nothing better to say."

"I really haven't found my niche here yet," Don said. "I kinda like working on a ranch but I just think I would like to do something else."

"Like what?" Victoria asked.

"I don't know."

"There are a lot of things to do here."

Don nodded. "I think I was a cop so long I don't know how to be anything else."

"It's a big change, I'm sure."

"It is."

"At least you're not afraid of change."

"Nah, I've never really been afraid of that. As a matter of fact, I think I like for things to be different all the time. When you're a cop, things are never quite the same."

"I guess it's kinda like that here when you're working on a ranch. You hardly ever do the same thing two days in a row, and when I am working with yarn, it's always different too."

"So, what do you do for fun?" Don asked.

Victoria smiled. "You think I'm a boring person?" she asked.

"No. Do you go to dances and stuff like that?"

"Sometimes. Connie likes that more than I do."

"You're just a home body?"

Victoria looked at him. "I guess you can say that," she said. "You don't like home bodies?"

Don smiled. "I do," he said. "My mom was home body. She liked being at home and it was her life."

"But you're definitely not a home body," Victoria said as she leaned on the table and looked at Don studying his face.

"I wouldn't say that. I used to like being at home."

"What happened?"

Don finally looked into her eyes and saw that she was quite interested in what he had to say. "You probably don't want to hear my sob story," he said.

"Yes I do…if you want to tell me."

Don had never told anyone about what happened with Jess, because everyone just knew it. He did not have to tell them…but this woman did not know. "I had a girlfriend," he leaned on the table and sipped his drink. "You know, I've never actually told anyone about this out loud. All my friends and family knew it and I didn't actually have to tell anyone."

"Maybe it will help if you tell it," Victoria said.

"Her name was Jessica Angell. She was beautiful, brown hair, brown eyes, and a smile that made me swoon. I loved her, but I never even told her."

"Why?"

"Stupid. That's all I can think of, just stupid. She was escorting this guy to court, and this gang of thugs…" Don leaned back. "You would think after so long a time that the pain would go away but it doesn't."

"She was a cop?"

Don nodded. "She was shot and died in the ER," he said. "And I never told her I loved her. I never let anything pass by now. I say what I feel now. I don't want someone to die without knowing how important they were to me."

"That's nice."

"Well, I just unloaded on you."

"You were there when she was shot?"

"No. I should have been, but I was out doing something else and didn't get there till it was too late."

"You can't blame that on yourself. You didn't know that would happen. You can't see the future."

Don nodded. "Yeah, I know I couldn't see what was going to happen, but I could have waited till later to do that other and helped her."

"And then you might have died too."

Don looked at her. He had never quite thought of that. "I guess you're right," he said.

"Then we wouldn't be meeting like this."

"You think I should let go of the past, huh?"

"It helps."

"Mac has told me he had to let go of the past and move on to where he is now. He lost two wives."

"He seems to be happy now, and I know Connie is happy."

"Mac's a good man."

"And you are too, right?"

Don smiled. "I like to think I am," he said.

"I think you are."

"Why?"

"I can just tell. Besides, you followed him over here from New York, didn't you?"

Don considered that a moment. "I guess I did. I just didn't like being there without him," he said. "He's like a father to me."

"What about your own father?"

"He died a few years ago. He was a good dad. Don't get me wrong about that."

"My mom and dad have lived on a ranch all their lives. They got married when they were in their teens."

"My grandparents did. Back then, people just got married."

"Must have been nice."

Don thought about that a moment. "I guess so," he said. "People just got married and worked through their problems and just stayed married." He looked at Mac on the dance floor with Connie. "Mac's like that."

"Connie is too," Victoria said. "You don't think you could be like that?"

Don looked at her. "I could," he said.

Victoria smiled. "I could too."

"So, are we going to start seeing each other and make those two happier than they already are?"

"Oh, I don't think we could make them happier than they are, but I think we could make each other very happy. I know I could get used to looking into those pretty blue eyes."

Don thought he must be blushing now because he was smiling. He did not know what to say probably for the first time in his life. Victoria laughed. "You're so cute," she said.

"Stop," Don replied. He looked at Victoria with a smile. "You have beautiful eyes too," he said. "And a beautiful smile."

"Thank you."

"You think Connie and Mac know something we don't?"

"I'm sure they know a lot of things we don't. After all, they know you, and they know me."

Don thought he was starting to feel comfortable with this woman. He leaned on the table and they started talking, and he hoped it would not end.

Mac and Connie were dancing, but Connie was looking over Mac's shoulder. "They're talking," she whispered.

"Stop being nosey," Mac said. "How would you like it if we were over there and they were watching us?"

"We didn't need any help getting together."

"Oh, and you think they do?"

"We got them here, didn't we? They're perfect for each other. He will bring a spark to her life and she will bring balance to his. Don't you just love it?"

Mac chuckled at that and turned around the other way. "Stop watching them," he said but he glanced over at the table himself.

"Don't tell me not to watch if you're going to watch."

"I'm not watching."

"You looked over there, you liar."

Mac scowled at her. "I am not a liar and I don't want to be called one, Babe."

"Sorry, Dear."

Mac loved dancing with Connie…basically, he just loved having his arms around her wherever they were. His arms did not feel empty. He hoped they could get that situation with the jewels done quickly…and he hoped maybe Don had found someone that could bring him the happiness he wanted too.


	20. Chapter 20

On Monday, Mac was up early, and so was Connie. They had an early flight and today was the day they were transporting the jewels to New York. "Are you nervous?" Connie asked as they were standing in the bathroom at the mirror.

"Just a little," Mac admitted. "After all, we're going to be transporting millions of dollars in jewels over miles of the country."

"In the air."

Mac nodded. "Yeah."

Connie was looking in the mirror at Mac's face. "You think someone will try something on the plane?"

Mac looked at her in the mirror and then looked at her directly. "I don't know. I guess anything could happen."

"Well, we'll just have to be careful."

"We? You're not involved in this, remember?"

"Yes, I am because I'm going with you."

"Connie."

"Mac."

Connie went into the bedroom and checked her suitcases again. "I think I have everything," she said.

"You should," Mac replied as he picked up his one suitcase.

"That's just fine. You know we women have to have more stuff than men, and it's the fault of you men because we have to fix our hair, and fix our face, and fix…"

"Okay, okay." Mac picked up her two suitcases, and she got the carry-on bag. "We're probably only going to be there for two days."

"You never know."

Mac followed her into the living room. He set the luggage down beside the door and then went into the kitchen. "You feeling sick this morning?" he asked.

"Yes," Connie said. "But it might subside a little after I eat."

"Are you sure this is not going to be bad for you on this flight since you've never flown?"

Connie looked at him. "Mac, you're the one who wanted me to go," she said.

"I know, but I don't want to make things hard for you."

"Stop worrying."

After they had breakfast, they went outside to the truck. They were going to leave the truck at the sheriff's department and be taken to the airport in the sheriff's car where they would go directly into the airport and board the plane. Don was at the sheriff's office when they arrived. "Did you sleep last night?" Don asked.

"Yeah," Mac said. "Why?"

"I don't know. I've just got a bad feeling about this."

"I think everything is going to be fine, Don."

Don did not know why he did not feel so secure. They went into the sheriff's office where John Tanner, the man who was hiring them, was with the jewels which were in a briefcase. Mac looked at that briefcase and he was not sure he wanted to carry them like that, and even handcuffed to it. That just made a spectacle of it.

"We're going to do this our way," Mac said. "I'm not going on that plane handcuffed to a briefcase like this. That just draws attention."

"What do you suggest?" Tanner asked.

"You just give me that briefcase and Don and I will meet you in New York."

Tanner just stared at Mac a moment, but he gave him the briefcase. "Don't worry," Mac said.

Mac and Don went out with the sheriff and got into the sheriff's car after their luggage was in the car. Mac put the briefcase into Connie's carry-on bag and he would carry that bag with him. The sheriff drove them to the airport and they all went inside. Ben looked at Mac and Don as they got past the security checkpoint. "Good luck," Ben said.

"Thanks," Mac replied.

Don walked with Connie and Mac and watched around them as they went. "Will you relax?" Mac asked. "You're acting too suspicious."

"I'm just trying to keep an eye out," Don said.

"Do it without looking like you're keeping an eye out."

When they got down to the gate to board the plane, they were able to go right aboard. Mac and Connie were seated together, and Don was in another row of seats. Mac thought it would be better if they did not sit together in case something happened, at least one of them would possibly be free to help the other.

Connie was beside the window and Mac was in the middle. He hoped no one would have the aisle seat, but it was not likely that they would not. He was right, and soon, a woman sat down beside him. She was dressed in a beige suit and looked like she was dressed for very important business. She had a briefcase with her as well. Mac could smell the woman's perfume, and maybe shampoo too, and he thought he was going to sneeze. He tried to avoid that but he finally had to give in and sneeze.

"Bless you," Connie said.

Mac rubbed his nose and hoped he did not do that again. He supposed it was just because the smell of the perfume was overwhelming for a moment. He looked out the window as he sniffed. "Are you alright?" Connie asked.

"Yeah," Mac said. "Just that perfume smell kinda irritated my nose a little."

"I think I'm starting to get very excited."

Mac smiled. "We're going to have a lot of fun. And when this plane takes off, just try to relax. It's like nothing you ever experienced."

Connie smiled. "Like our honeymoon?" she whispered.

"I hope it won't be that good."

Connie tried not to laugh out loud. She looked out the window to see that they were removing the loading deck, and closing the door. "This is so exciting," she said.

Soon, they were moving down the runway, and then turned around to take off. Connie hid her face in Mac's shoulder. "Just relax," Mac said.

"I'm trying," Connie replied.

Mac smiled as he remembered the first time he had ever gotten on a plane. He had gotten so sick he thought he would die, and he had had trouble with that a lot of times even when he was in the Marines but he supposed he must have gotten over it in his old age…or at least he thought he had until that plane left the ground. He had not felt like that in a long time.

Connie looked at Mac. "That was a strange sensation," she said.

"I agree," Mac replied.

"It was like going up in an elevator but a lot faster, and a lot more pressure."

"Yeah."

Connie studied his face a moment. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Mac blew out a breath. "I will be."

"You're not feeling sick, are you?"

"Not really, but if you keep asking me, I'm liable to be."

"Oh."

Connie looked out the window and could see down to the ground since it was not very cloudy. "Wow, this is beautiful," she said. "Look at the mountains."

Mac looked out the window. He had to admit it was beautiful seeing the snow on top of the mountains. It was not extremely thick this time of year but it was getting there. Mac thought the mountains were beautiful with or without snow especially those Grand Tetons.

After they changed planes, they were in the air again. Mac noticed that a man on the flight was very interested in them. He had followed them to the gate to board the airplane and had gotten on the plane right behind them. Mac got his phone out since he could have it on during the flight, so he sent Don a message and drew his attention to the man who was sitting across the aisle from Mac and Connie. Mac pretended not to notice, but he saw the man glancing at them, and eyeing the carry-on bag that Mac was keeping in his possession instead of putting it up in the baggage compartment. He thought maybe he should have put it up there so it would not look so suspicious.

Don could not believe it when he saw Mac stand up and put the carry-on bag into the baggage compartment. Mac paid attention to the man who was so interested in what they were doing, and he looked a little confused. Mac smiled slightly as he sat back down. "What are you doing?" Connie whispered.

"Trying not to look so suspicious," Mac replied.

"Are you sure that's wise to put that up there like that?"

"It's better than having it down here. It's getting too much attention."

Mac realized he had said the wrong thing. "What do you mean?" Connie asked, and Mac could see the alarm on her face.

"Now, just calm down," he said. "I don't want the guy to know that we're suspicious of him, and if you start acting like that, he's going to notice."

"You mean someone's watching us?"

"I think so, but just relax. He can't exactly do anything while we're on this plane."

Connie took a deep breath. "Okay."

Mac kissed her hand. "Don't worry now."

"I'll try not to."

Connie wondered what would happen when they got to New York if someone was watching them on this plane, but she also knew that people would be waiting for them when they got there. She just hoped Mac would not be in danger.

When their plane landed in New York, Mac got the carry-on bag down. "Will you excuse me?" the woman beside them asked as she was trying to get her own bag.

"Sorry," Mac said. He was stuck between her and Connie.

The woman reached up to get her bag which put her practically face to face with Mac. "Well, you're nice and warm," she said with a flirtatious look.

"Do you mind?" Mac asked.

"No, I don't mind."

Connie looked around Mac with her hands on her hips. "Will you please not flirt with my husband while I'm standing here?" she asked.

The woman looked surprised. "Well, I thought you were his daughter."

Mac kept Connie from going around him to get closer to that woman, but the woman went on down the aisle. "Oh, that just burns me up," Connie said.

"You just simmer down, Mrs. Hopalong."

Connie narrowed her eyes at him. "You better watch it."

Mac smiled and they headed for the exit. Mac kept an eye on the man who had been interested in his bag, and Don was at the exit and would be waiting when Mac and Connie came off the plane. They were soon at the exit, and Don was there waiting like Mac knew he would. They headed out into the airport terminal to get their luggage. "Do you see our tail?" Mac asked.

"I don't see him yet," Don said.

"I'm sure he's back there somewhere."

They got their luggage and then headed for the front of the airport. Mac was on the phone and then he touched Connie's arm. "Babe, I've got a ride for you," he said. "They'll take you to the hotel. We have a reservation. Just charge it on the credit card."

"When will you be there?" Connie asked.

"As soon as I can."

They went out the front door of the building and there was a limousine there waiting. Connie stopped in her tracks when she saw it. Mac smiled. "Only the best for you," he said. "Come on."

Mac put Connie's luggage and his into the limo and then kissed her. "Don't worry," he said.

Connie just looked into his eyes. "I love you, Mac Taylor."

"I love you too, Connie Taylor."

Connie got into the limo, and as it pulled away, Mac remembered the last time he saw Claire pulling away on that bus. "Mac, come on," Don said.

Mac looked around at Don looking bewildered but he went with him. "You alright?" Don asked.

"Yeah," Mac said. "You seen our tail?"

"No, not yet. That makes me more nervous."

Mac could see the car they were supposed to get into and officers there with it. They went on over to it and were put into the car. Mac felt like he was some sort of official, but he was worried about Connie. He did not like sending her out into the city and she had never been there before. She had no idea where she was going but he had rented the limo for them. That made him very nervous.

When they got in the car, Don sighed. "Well, I'm relieved," he said.

Mac looked out the window wondering what happened to their tail. He did not think it was like someone like this to just give up, so where did the guy go? He wondered what they planned to do, but he supposed they knew it would not be possible to steal those jewels here at this airport.

Mac and Don soon arrived at their destination which was a large mansion that almost looked like a castle. "Wow," Don said. "I guess if you can afford millions of dollars in jewels, you can afford millions of dollars of house."

Mac shook his head. He thought Don could always come up with some clever line. "I'm just wondering where our tail went," he said.

"It's hard to believe they would give up."

"I don't think they did. They have to be planning something."

"When would they carry out this plan?"

"I don't know but I'll be glad when these jewels are in that safe."

They got out of the car and were escorted into the mansion. Mac did not think he had ever walked on such a plush carpet as they entered the front room. "Mac, should we even be in here?" Don asked quietly.

"Just relax," Mac said.

"I sure hope nothing suddenly falls in here and I get blamed for breaking it."

"Shut up."

Soon, John Tanner came into the room. "Good morning," he said. "I'm glad to see that you made it."

Mac gave him the briefcase. "You should know that we had a tail," he said. "I don't know who he was but he must have known what we had in that briefcase. I didn't see him after we got off the plane here."

"Just so long as these jewels are safe, it doesn't matter."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that. Those jewels are going to be transported again and someone better be on the lookout."

"I trust that you will be here for that occasion?"

"I will."

"Detective Taylor…"

"Just call me Mac."

"Mac, I would appreciate it if you and your partner would stay here at the mansion and guard the jewels for me," Tanner said.

"I'll do it," Don replied. "Mac brought his wife along and they're kinda having a second honeymoon. I, on the other hand, have nothing to do."

"Very well."

Mac and Don moved away from Tanner. "If anything happens, you better call me," Mac said.

"I will," Don replied.

Mac shook his head. "I just have an uneasy feeling about this, but I can't just leave Connie over there in that hotel alone."

"Go ahead, Mac. Everything will be fine."

"Alright."

"Mac, my driver will take you wherever you want to go," Tanner said.

"Thank you," Mac said. "I would like a lift to my hotel."

"Jeff, take Mac to his hotel."

Jeff nodded, and he and Mac went outside. Mac felt a little weird having someone drive him around but he would rent a car when he and Connie decided to explore. They arrived at the hotel, and Mac went inside. He went to the desk to find out what room he was staying in. He went to the elevator and went up to the right floor which overlooked Central Park.

Mac went into the room and Connie was looking out the window. She smiled and ran to him to hug him. "Mac, I can't believe I am staying in this hotel!" she said. "It must be terribly expensive."

"Now, don't start worrying about that," Mac said. "You like the view?"

"It's beautiful."

They walked over to the window and looked out together. Connie smiled. "Can we go out there?" she asked.

"Sure we can," Mac replied. "We're going to have a beautiful time while we're here." He put his arms around her and kissed her cheek.

"Where did you live when you lived here?"

Mac looked out the window. "Well, you can't see it from here, but I'll show you."

"And you're going to show me where you worked?"

"Of course."

"Do you think your friends will stare at us like some other people do?"

Mac scowled. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"You know, like that woman who said she thought I was your daughter," Connie said.

Mac frowned. "My friends know you're not my daughter."

Connie turned in his arms and looked at him. "I know that, but they think it's weird, don't they?"

Mac was silent a moment. "I don't care what they think," he said. "What other people think is not important. What we think is what is important, and we have a good marriage, and I wouldn't give you up for anything."

"I just don't want you to be embarrassed."

Mac frowned. "I am not embarrassed. I love you, and it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about it. They're the ones who should be ashamed for judging you and me. Our marriage is right."

Connie smiled. "You always know the right thing to say, don't you?"

"I try to."

They shared a long kiss and then looked out the window again. "We're going to have a good time here," Mac said. "Tomorrow, I'll be working for a while, but then, tomorrow night, you and I are going out for a night on the town."

Connie smiled. "I can't wait."


	21. Chapter 21

That night, Connie got into the plush bed. She laughed. "I can't believe I'm sleeping in this hotel," she said.

Mac smiled as he was getting ready to get into the bed. "How did you like that dinner?" he asked.

"It was wonderful. I think I ate too much."

"Not quite as fresh as what we eat back home, right?"

"No, but wonderful."

Mac got into the bed and hugged Connie to him. "We should get a bed like this one," he said. "I've always wanted a soft bed like this."

"Me too. I feel like I'm wrapped in it," Connie said.

"No, that's my arms."

Connie smiled. "You can't say that you don't love the feel of this bed."

"I do."

Connie looked into Mac's eyes. "How did we ever meet each other?" she asked.

Mac pretended to consider that. "Well, I started working on the ranch and…"

"Mac, you know what I mean. I mean, you left all this for…the country?"

"I'm proud of my decision. Living a high classed life is not everything."

"I bet you were proud when you lived here and doing that job."

"I was, but I'm proud now too. I like what I'm doing and I love my home, and my wife, and everything. That's everything that I want."

"Are you going to make love to me in this bed?"

Mac ran his fingers through her hair. "So soft," he said.

"What do you love most about me?"

Mac thought about that a moment. "I don't know. I love everything."

"But there must be something that you just noticed about me first."

Mac smiled. "I noticed your happiness for one thing," he said. "You seemed to be happy and quite content with your life and the work we were doing, plus you said I was sexy in those chaps."

Connie laughed. "I did say that, didn't I?" she asked.

"Yes, you did. Although I tried to pretend that I didn't want anyone, but I did notice you, but I thought you were too young for me. I thought we would just be friends."

"When you first came to the ranch, you were the center of attention, and I just got to you first."

"I don't think I would have ever liked the other women."

"Why?"

"They're not my type."

"And I was?"

"Absolutely. I just didn't know it at first."

Connie laughed as she moved closer to Mac. "Oooh, it's so warm in this bed with you," she said.

"Just the way I like it."

Mac started to kiss her but just then, the phone rang. "You're not going to answer that, are you?" Connie asked.

"Now, Honey, you know…"

"Yes, I know."

Mac sat up and reached for the phone. "Hello," he answered.

"Mac, I think you should come over here," Don said.

"Why? What's going on?"

"One of the guards here has been shot."

Mac sighed. "Alright, I'll be over there soon," he said.

"Good."

Mac hung up the phone and looked at Connie. "You have to go?" Connie asked.

Mac nodded. "One of the guards has been shot," he said.

"Shot?"

"Yeah."

Mac could see the worry on Connie's face clearly. "Don't worry now," he said. He kissed her and held that kiss a moment. "Oh, I wish he had waited just a little while before he called."

Connie smiled. "You should have just got busy when we got in this bed."

"Then I might have been in a very embarrassing position when he called."

Connie could not help but laugh as she watched Mac get up but her smile faded. "You're going to be careful, aren't you?" she asked.

"You know I am," Mac said.

Mac got dressed and looked at Connie. "Don't sit here and worry," he said. He kissed her again and then went to the door. "I'll be back."

Connie watched Mac go out the door and then she burst into tears. She turned the light out and lay down but she cried herself to sleep.

Mac got a cab over to the mansion where the jewels were being kept since he had no car rented yet. Don was waiting for him when he got there, and there were already police there as well, including Jo Danville and Danny Messer. They both hugged Mac as he approached the crime scene. "It seems like we ought to be reporting to you," Jo said.

"You should," Mac replied with a smile. "What happened?"

"Everyone is supposed to report every thirty minutes," Don said. "And Leech here didn't report, so we came out here to check on him, and found him like this."

"No one heard a shot?"

Don shook his head. "Must have been a silencer," he said.

Mac looked around the wall that surrounded the place. "Where was he? Was he on the wall?"

"They're reviewing the security cameras to see if they caught anything. They swivel, you know so they might have caught where he was standing but probably didn't get the shot, or they may have gotten him falling."

"So no one monitors these things?"

"Yeah, but you know how that goes. You can miss things."

"There's also the chance that someone on the inside was helping. There may be someone inside this place already, and they will wait for their chance."

Mac and Don turned and went into the mansion. Mac looked up the stairs. "There are so many places they could hide," he said. "They could come out and take the jewels and know how to escape."

"Well, there's not much chance of them getting the jewels," Don said. "There are two guards in there."

Mac hurried up the stairs to the room where the safe with the jewels in it was, and Don was right behind him. They found the door locked. Mac banged on the door. "Open this door!" he demanded.

There was no sound so Mac kicked the door open as he was drawing his own weapon. Suddenly, something whizzed by his head. Mac realized it was a bullet that had been fired through a silencer. He ducked behind the wall as did Don. Mac looked through the door and saw someone grabbing the jewels from the safe. "Stop right there!" Mac yelled and aimed his weapon into the room, but the guy shot at him again.

Mac shot into the room. However, he missed, and the man darted across the room. Mac tried to see around the corner but he heard something slam so he aimed his gun around the corner of the door and he realized the thief had gone into a dumb-waiter. Mac ran over to it and Don was with him. "Where does this go?" he asked.

"The kitchen!" Don said.

They ran out the room door and did not take time to tell the other security personnel. Mac knew they had to hurry or their thief would be gone. Danny was at the bottom of the stairs when Mac and Don came down. He drew his own weapon and followed them. He did not know what was going on but he would help them anyway.

They got to the kitchen and Mac shoved the kitchen door open. They could see that the dumb-waiter was open already. Mac looked around the kitchen and did not see any way that the person could have gotten out of there except through the outside door. He went to that door while Danny and Don searched the rest of the kitchen and the pantry which was huge. They were careful as they looked around each row of shelves that contained food stuffs.

Mac came back into the kitchen, knowing that no one had gone out that door. He went into the pantry. He figured Danny and Don had gone in there, and in fact, he could see Danny at the other end of the pantry.

As Don went around the corner of one of the shelves which met almost with a wall, suddenly, someone hit him on the back of the head. Don fell to the floor over a sack of potatoes. "Mac!" Danny exclaimed as he saw what happened. "Freeze, you! N.Y.P.D.!"

Mac hurried down there to Danny, and got there just in time to see their quarry dart into a door that seemed to go into the wall. Danny stopped at Don, and Mac went over to that door. He jerked the door open and aimed his gun into total darkness. He moved into it and realized there was a stairway to his left that went downward. "There's a stairway here, Danny!" Mac said as he took a step down. As his eyes adjusted, he could see that there was a dim light down below the stairs and to the left. He went down the stairs and looked to the left and there was a concrete basement…or maybe one would call it a cellar.

Mac looked around the corner of the stairs doorway. He did not see anyone but he knew they could be in there. He moved around the corner of the doorway and peered into the darkness to his left. To the right, there was an oil lamp sitting on a table that gave off a flickering, dim light. He figured that must have been the light he saw as he came down the stairs.

Mac moved toward the right looking around as he went. Suddenly, he saw a flicker of movement, and then something struck him just above his elbow on his left arm. He grunted with the hot pain he felt and then moved further and then to his right. He realized the thief was opening a door in the back of the cellar. "Stop!" Mac yelled, but the guy went on through the door.

Mac thought this was going to be a long chase. He grimaced as he remembered why the elbow was called the "funny" bone. He thought there was nothing worse than being shot at the elbow. He took a deep breath and went on toward that door that the thief had gone out. He jerked the door open and found that there was a tunnel behind it. Mac sighed but he went into the tunnel. There was a dim light in this tunnel as well and he moved slowly down the tunnel, knowing that the thief had to know this property well to know that all this was here. He had not even known it was here and he was supposed to be informed about everything. Mac wondered if the owner of this property even knew about this.

Mac moved on down the tunnel which turned to the right when he got out about fifteen feet. He leaned on the wall a moment as he felt sweat on his forehead and felt just a little dizzy from being shot. He thought of what Connie would think about this. She would be mad about him getting shot but at least he was still walking.

Mac started to move on down that tunnel, but then he heard a "Psst". He realized it was coming from behind him. "Psst." He looked around and could see that Danny was coming that way. He got up to Mac and leaned on the wall beside him. "What's going on?" Danny whispered.

"He went down there," Mac whispered indicating the other tunnel branch.

"Don's going to be alright. They took him in the ambulance."

Mac nodded and looked down the other tunnel. He and Danny moved into that tunnel and headed toward the other end, but instead of an "end", they came to a fork, with one going right and one going left. "Now what?" Danny whispered.

"You go right and I'll go left," Mac replied.

"Be careful."

"You too."

Danny did not like the idea of them being split up, but he did what Mac said and went to the right. He supposed he still felt like Mac was his boss.

Mac moved down the tunnel and soon came to a ladder that went up to a trap door. He went up the ladder and pushed on the door which was not hard to open so he figured it must have been in use recently. He shoved the door open and aimed his weapon out as he looked out. He was in what looked like a tool shed. He had not used his flashlight because he did not want to make himself a target, but he had a feeling that he was the only one in this tool shed so he took his flashlight out and shined it around the place. There was no one there, and Mac thought it looked like no one had been in this place for a very long time. He realized that meant that the thief probably went down the tunnel that Danny took.

Danny got to the end of his tunnel and found another old stairway. He went up those stairs and found and old trapdoor. He wondered if someone was waiting on the other side of that door. He pushed on the door and it was easy to move so he pushed it open and had his weapon ready. He was surprised that he was in what looked like a kitchen. Then he heard the click of a gun. Danny froze in place feeling his heart pound in his chest.

"Lay that weapon down," someone said.

"You're messing with the law," Danny replied.

"Either lay it down or I will just blow your brains out all over this floor."

Danny laid his gun down on the floor. "Now, climb out of there," the person said.

Danny did what he was told and then faced his captor who was wearing a ski mask. "Close the trap door," he said.

Suddenly, Danny realized there was more than one person in that room. He closed the trap door and one of the others got his gun and screwed a bolt in place that locked the trap door. Danny knew he was in trouble as his captors moved toward him.

Mac was in the tunnel that Danny had taken now and he finally reached the trap door. He pushed on it and found that it was locked. He looked back down the tunnel and wondered where Danny had gone. He knew Danny would not have just left. He pushed on the trap door again and put his shoulder against it. It would not budge. He got back down the stairs and went down the tunnel. "Danny!" he called. "Danny!"

Just then, one of the security guards from the house came into the cellar. "Did you see Detective Messer come from this tunnel?" Mac asked.

"No sir," Timothy replied. "No one has come out of here."

Mac looked back down the tunnel and pointed. "Do you know where this goes?"

Timothy shook his head. "No, but I'll bet Jeremy does."

"Who's Jeremy?"

"The butler. He uses these tunnels sometimes especially during the spring and summer."

Mac was nervous now. He did not know what happened to Danny. "We have to get that trap door open!"

Timothy went down the tunnel with Mac and they both shoved and hit the door with their shoulders until they got it open. They came out into a kitchen which was empty now except for the normal things one would find in a kitchen. Mac was not sure that Danny had even come into this place but he sure had a bad feeling. He looked at Timothy. "You're absolutely certain that no one came out of that cellar," he said.

"I'm positive," Timothy replied. "Why?"

"Because if Danny didn't come out of that cellar, and he came in here…"

Timothy looked around the kitchen knowing what Mac meant now. "What do we do?" he asked.

"Let's see where we are."

Mac turned a light on and moved on through the door to the kitchen and found that they were in a house. "This is the guest house," Timothy said. "Jeremy stays here."

Mac frowned. They went up the stairs with their weapons ready and went into the bedroom. Mac stopped as they entered and turned on the light. "You better let them know they've got another murder to solve, and a kidnapped officer too."

Timothy got his radio and called that situation in. Mac could not believe this happened on his watch. He had not thought that anyone could get into that house but he had been terribly wrong. However, he did not know that this house had a network of tunnels. "Why wasn't I told about these tunnels?" he asked. "I didn't even know this place had a cellar, and I sure didn't know it had tunnels that went underground."

"No one uses the tunnels except Jeremy," Timothy said. "He just goes from this house to the main house."

"Does anyone else live here?"

"No."

"He doesn't have guests of his own?"

"I don't know about that."

Mac sighed. He knew he was going to be taking some heat about this. He could not believe this got past him. He thought he must be slipping, and he should not have taken that job. He knew that it did not matter that someone did not tell him about the tunnels, he was supposed to find out about them himself because he was the boss over this operation. He had met with all the security personnel at this place and had given them their instructions. John Tanner had trusted him, and he had let him down. Mac thought he had been more occupied with his wife than with the security of this and that was why he had failed to ask all the right questions about this old mansion.

Mac sat down in a chair in the kitchen and rubbed his face. He was sweating and felt dizzy. His arm felt like it was buzzing too because of the close proximity of that bullet to his elbow. Soon, Jo was there at the house. She looked at Mac and walked over to him. "What happened to you?" she asked.

"That guy got a shot off at me," Mac said.

Jo could see by the look on Mac's face that he was quite upset about this situation. "We'll find them," she said.

Mac looked at her. "How are we supposed to do that?" he asked. "I don't know who they were. The guy was wearing a mask."

"They can't stay hidden forever."

"The worst thing about it is that they have Danny!"

Jo stared at him a moment. "What?" she asked. "How did this happen?"

"He came with Don and me, and he came down here, and he's nowhere to be found, so there's only one explanation…he's been kidnapped."

Jo did not know what to say now. She knew they could find Danny's body lying somewhere dead. She thought of Lindsay whom she figured would go into labor when she heard about this.

"I'm sorry," Mac said. "No one told me about these tunnels. I know that's no excuse. It's not their job to tell me, it's mine to know."

"How could you know?"

"I should have asked for a blueprint of this place. It was stupid! I just assumed that no one could get into this house with all the security but I wasn't thinking about someone coming in from underground."

Just then, John Tanner walked in looking every bit as angry as Mac would expect. "I want to talk to you, Detective Taylor!" he said.

"Mister Tanner, this is not Mac's fault," Jo declared.

"Why don't you do your job and let me do mine?"

Mac went with Tanner as they went outside and went back over to the main house. He led Mac up to the room where the jewels had been. "Do you know how much those jewels are worth?" Tanner asked.

"Yes, I do," Mac replied.

"How could you let someone come in here and take them? You were supposed to have this place secured!"

"Nobody told me there was a network of tunnels under this house!" Mac declared. "Not even you! Why didn't you let me in on that little piece of information? You knew that butler used those tunnels everyday so you had to know they were there!"

Tanner realized Mac was right and then he noticed Mac's arm and blood on his shirt sleeve. "What happened to your arm?" he asked.

"I was shot trying to catch the guy who stole your jewels," Mac said.

"I didn't think anyone else knew about those tunnels," Tanner admitted. "I don't know how anyone would find out about it."

"Because you had an inside man here!" Mac said. "Someone who was working for you whom you were supposed to get cleared was in on this! They helped whoever stole these jewels."

"None of my men would do that."

"Well, one of them did! And now, an N.Y.P.D. officer has been kidnapped, and another one is injured, not to mention me! You had a security breech that led to the death of your butler and may lead to the death of Danny Messer."

Tanner moved closer to Mac. "You were supposed to be ahead of all this," he said. "You weren't even here! I didn't hire you for this job so you could come to New York with your wife! I hired you to protect my jewels!"

Mac knew that was right too. He should have been here and the guy might not have gotten away. He had never had such a stark failure as this, but he would fix it. He would find out where those jewels were and he would find Danny.


	22. Chapter 22

The next morning, Mac was sitting in the ER when Connie arrived. She walked into his room and over to the bed. "I'm alright," Mac said. "I just got hit in the arm."

"I thought this mission was supposed to be easy," Connie said. "But I see that you're going to be here a long time."

"I guess you heard what happened."

"Oh yes, Jo filled me in."

Mac thought he should not have been surprised by that. "They didn't tell me that house had a series of tunnels under it," he said.

"Tunnels?"

"Yes, tunnels. Whoever stole those jewels knew about those tunnels and they used them to get away. I didn't even know the house had a cellar."

"Oh Mac. What kind of trouble are you in?"

Mac sighed. "Don't ask. I was responsible for those jewels," he said.

"What are you doing to do?"

"The jewels being lost is not even the worst problem. Danny has been kidnapped."

"And you're going to find him?"

Mac looked at her. "Don't you think I should?" he asked. "His wife is about to have a baby."

"Yours is too."

"I know that, Connie, but I can't just leave Danny out there."

"No, I guess you can't. Is it alright if I go back home? I don't want to stay here in that hotel by myself."

Mac frowned. "I'm sorry that I can't spend more time with you. I had so many things planned for us."

"Maybe we can do it some other time."

"Maybe we can."

Connie sat down on the side of the bed. "I guess sometimes things just don't work out the way you want it to."

"I guess not." Mac knew he could not go out and have fun knowing Danny was out there somewhere in the hands of thieves, and who knew what else. Still he felt bad for Connie. He also knew that Danny would tell him to at least take her to see the Statue of Liberty.

Just then, Don walked into Mac's room with a bandage around his head. "Hey, Mac," Don said, quietly, and without his usual enthusiasm.

"Hi, Don," Mac replied. "You alright?"

"You know I have a hard head. What about you?"

"Well, you know I have an impenetrable shell."

Connie did not think she had ever seen two like Mac and Don. They talked to each other in riddles and they risked their lives together for something that they both believed in. "What are we going to do, Mac?" Don asked. "I don't think John Tanner wants to even see us."

"I agree," Mac replied. "But we don't have to work for him. We're going to find our friend. We don't have to have the approval of anyone now."

Don nodded. "I still have contacts in this city," he said.

"Right. Let's get some rest when we get out of here and then we'll start our own investigation."

"I'll be ready."

The door of the room opened again, and Mac expected to see the nurse coming in to release him from the ER, but instead, it was Lindsay. If Mac had thought he felt bad before, he felt even worse now. He did not even want to look at her red, swollen eyes that had been crying over her husband. Connie looked at Mac, and she knew he blamed himself.

Lindsay walked over to the bed. "Mac, are you alright?" she asked.

Mac looked at her and nodded. "Yes, I'm alright," he said.

Lindsay hugged him, and Mac could feel her trembling as she cried. "I'm sorry," he said.

"It's not your fault," Lindsay said. "Jo told me what happened."

"I should have been…"

"You couldn't do anything. How do they expect someone to lead an operation if they don't tell them everything?"

"It was my duty to know," Mac said.

"I know you're planning something. Don't get killed."

"I'll do my best."

Lindsay wiped the tears off her face. "This is what pregnancy does to you," she remarked.

"There's nothing wrong with crying," Mac said.

"That's something coming from you."

Connie thought that was a snide remark. "Mac cries," she said. "He has plenty of feelings that no one knows about."

"Oh, I know that," Lindsay replied. She looked at Mac. "I don't want you to get killed."

"I'm going to find Danny, Lindsay. I don't care how long it takes."

Lindsay knew he meant that and he would not be swayed by anyone. She looked at Don. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"I will be," Don replied. "Don't worry, we'll find Danny."

"Just let us know if you need anything, both of you. We'll do what we can to help."

When Mac got out of the hospital, he and Connie got a cab back to their hotel. Mac sat down on the bed. His head hurt and so did his arm. Connie thought this was the worst vacation she had ever had. She had thought they would have some fun, but it looked like they would have anything but that.

Mac sat there a moment and thought of what he wanted to do. He had to think but he had so many things on his mind, he felt like they were all jumbled up right now. He supposed he needed some rest. He crawled up on the bed and just lay down.

"Why don't I call room service and get some breakfast?" Connie asked.

"Sure," Mac said. "Go ahead."

Connie got the phone and called for some breakfast and then she lay down on the bed and faced Mac. They just stared at each other a moment. "I know this is not turning out the way we wanted it to," he said.

Connie could not pretend that she was not disappointed but she also knew that this was not Mac's fault. "You shouldn't take the blame for this," she said. "It's not your fault. Who would know that someone working inside the house was in on the robbery?"

Mac sighed. "No one," he admitted. "Tanner chose those men, and they were supposed to have been someone he could trust and they turned out to be anything but."

"How long are you going to stay on this?"

"Until I find Danny."

Connie just hoped he did not find Danny's body somewhere. She knew how much Mac cared about the people who had worked for him when he was in New York. She had definitely seen how much he cared for Don, and she knew he cared for the others the same way. "Do you think they'll let him go?" she asked.

Mac frowned. "No," he said. "I don't know who they were or where they would go but I'm going to find out who is missing from that house so that we will at least know who was in on it and that should give us a lead."

Soon, their breakfast arrived and they ate. Mac leaned back on the bed and thought. Connie leaned on his shoulder wishing that she knew what he was thinking. Mac looked at her and pushed her hair back. "I love you," he said.

"I love you too," Connie replied.

"I know that." He kissed her passionately. "I'm going to pick up where we were interrupted last night."

Connie lay down on the pillow. "Go ahead."

Mac smiled as he leaned over her for another kiss. "What would I do without you?"

"You would be bored stiff, but here I am, waiting."

"You'll wait no longer."

Mac woke up later in the bed with the covers over his head. He pulled the covers off his head and looked at his watch. He was surprised to see that it was almost 11 AM. He rolled over onto his back and realized that Connie was not in the bed. He sat up and yawned. "Honey, where are you?" he asked.

"I'm in this beautiful tub," Connie answered.

Mac smiled and went into the bathroom. Connie was sitting in a pool of bubbles. "At least you get to enjoy this, right?" he asked.

"Why don't you join me?"

"I don't mind if I do."

Mac got into the tub and started to sit down, and then he heard his phone ringing. He debated in his mind whether he wanted to answer that or not but he supposed he should. He put a towel around him and went back into the bedroom. "Hello," he answered.

"Detective Taylor, I would like to speak with you," John Tanner said.

"What for? I thought you didn't want anything else to do with me."

"Please."

"Well, I'll meet with you tomorrow then."

"Detective, I would like to meet with you today, as soon as possible."

Mac frowned. "When? Where?"

"You can come to my mansion, at around two today."

"Fine. I'll be there."

"Thank you."

Mac ended the call and thought about that call a moment. He went back into the bathroom and got into the tub. He sat down beside Connie and relaxed. "Who was that?" Connie asked as she could tell that he was clearly upset.

"It was John Tanner," Mac said. "He wants me to meet with him today at two."

"What for?"

"I don't know. He just wants me to be at his mansion."

"Are you going?"

"I suppose I should go and hear what he has to say. He did say Please."

"Hmmm. I wouldn't have thought that word was in the man's category."

"Yeah. Me neither. He must have something serious going on to say it."

"You're not going to get shot again, are you?"

"I hope not." Mac looked at his arm that had a waterproof bandage on it. It would have to be changed after this bath. "I hope I don't get shot in the elbow again. That hurts."

Connie had to roll her eyes at that. "Oh, Mac, you have some of the best understatements I've ever heard."

Mac smiled. "I have to be a little sarcastic, you know."

Connie saw Mac's smile fade as he relaxed. "I know you're worried about Danny," she said.

"I am," Mac replied. "I just wish I knew where to look for him. I'm going to get all the information I can when Jo and the others have it ready."

"Can they give you information like that?"

"I'm sure they will."

Mac looked at Connie. "It probably would be better if you went back home," he said. "I promise I'll bring you here again someday."

"Mac, don't worry about that," Connie said. "I just want you to come home safe."

Mac took her hand in his. "I don't know how long it will take to find him, if I can even find him."

"Are you saying I'm going to be alone for a long time?"

Mac looked into her eyes. "No."

"Mac, I know he's your friend, and I couldn't stand in your way of what you think you have to do, but I need you."

"I know, and I need you too."

Mac felt like his heart was conflicted. He did not know what he would have to do, but he could not just leave Danny out there and not try to find him. He knew others would be looking for him but he could not just stay out of it. He just hoped that he would not find him dead. After seeing Lindsay, he felt even worse. Everyone told him it was not his fault, but he could not see that it was not his fault. He had sent Danny down that tunnel that he had no idea where it went. He thought he had made poor decisions the whole time.

"What are you thinking about?" Connie asked as Mac was quiet and massaging her hand.

"I'm just thinking about all the things that have happened," Mac said. "That happened under my watch."

"It's not your fault, Mac."

"Yes it is. I should have asked about all areas of that house. I shouldn't have let Danny go down that tunnel alone."

"Oh, and what if he had not been captured? What if you had captured the jewel thieves? Then what would be happening? Everyone would be patting you on the back and telling you what a great job you did. I don't remember Danny being under your command anyway."

Mac scowled at that and looked at Connie. He could not argue with what she just said. He was a dunce only because the thieves got away and because they took Danny with them. "It doesn't matter," he said.

"Yes, it does matter, Mac. Just because something bad happened doesn't make it all your fault."

"Connie, when you're a manager, if something happens, believe me, it's your fault because you're supposed to be on top of things. When something happened at that lab, I took heat for it no matter which of my people were involved because I was responsible for what happened in that lab and what they did."

"You were a team."

"Right."

"But you were hired by this guy to bring his jewels to New York, not to watch over them once they got here."

"Yes, I was. I left Don there and…"

Connie just waited for him to go on. "And, you should have been there instead of here with me."

Mac frowned. "That's not what it is."

"Yes it is. You blame yourself because you were here with me instead of there. Oh, I see the whole picture now. You've lived your whole life that way, thinking that if you tried to have any pleasure in life, it would be your fault if anything bad happened at that lab or wherever you were in charge."

Mac slid down further in the water so his head was resting on the side of the tub. "I'm finally figuring you out," Connie said.

"You really think so?" Mac asked.

"Yes. I really think so."

Mac frowned as he thought about that. Maybe she was right. He had even neglected Claire because of his job. He had almost gotten into trouble with Quinn because he stayed away from his wife too much too. Connie knew she had hit a nerve so she just leaned back in the tub and started washing her legs.

Mac looked at her leg up in the air and watched her rub the soap on it with a poof. He wondered if she was trying to seduce him. He knew she was right. He had always punished his own self and put duty first…but he had punished his wife and made her suffer too, and then when he had decided to finally take her to the opera…

Mac put his arm around Connie. "Are you trying to seduce me?" he asked.

Connie smiled. "Is it working?" she asked.

"Yes."

Connie squealed as Mac tickled her sides. He kissed her. "I love you deeply, Connie Taylor," he said.

Connie put her arms around his neck. "I love you to the core, Mac Taylor."


	23. Chapter 23

Promptly at 2PM, Mac arrived at the mansion. He had no desire to get there early, nor did he want to arrive late. John Tanner came to the door when Mac walked up to it. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming," Tanner said.

"I said I'd be here at two," Mac replied.

"Right. Come on in."

Mac went into the luxurious mansion and Tanner led him upstairs to his personal office which was quite large. "Have a seat," Tanner said.

Mac sat down in a chair in front of Tanner's desk. "So, what's this all about?" he asked.

Tanner laid some papers on his desk. "You know I had those jewels insured, don't you?"

"I would think that was the most logical thing to do. Why?"

"They're accusing me of insurance fraud."

Mac just stared at him a moment. "What does that have to do with me?" he asked.

"Oh, it has plenty to do with you, Detective Taylor." Tanner gave Mac one of the papers.

Mac read the paper that told all the suspicions, including that he, Mac Taylor, was also possibly involved and would be investigated as well. He looked at Tanner. "You really think I had something to do with this?" he asked.

"No," Tanner said. "But look what they're accusing us of, Insurance Fraud! Do you know what would happen if they thought we were in on this? They think that you were in on that plot to steal the jewels."

Mac frowned. He knew that Jo and the others knew he had nothing to do with that. "I don't think I have anything to worry about," he said. "You didn't tell me about those tunnels. I would be more suspicious of you than me."

Tanner sighed. "I suppose that does make me look suspicious," he said. "But I'm telling you, I had nothing to do with this."

"Oh, I believe you. If I had thought you were dishonest, I would never have helped you in the first place."

"What are we going to do?"

"You know what, Mister Tanner? Your jewels are not worth near as much as the life of my friend who was taken by those people," Mac informed him. "If I never see those jewels again, I want to see my friend. He has a wife and child, and another child soon to be born."

"I realize that, but if we don't find those jewels, they're going to…"

"To what? I didn't steal those jewels, I didn't have anything to do with it, and I'm sure you didn't either, so I don't think we have anything to worry about, except my friend who is lost."

"Those jewels were very important to me," Tanner said. "Do you realize how old they are?"

"What good are they? Nobody can wear them anywhere. All they do is sit around for people to stare at. If someone tried to wear them, they would have to have bodyguards around them and couldn't enjoy it anyway. What good are they? Just something to possess. Do you have any family, Mister Tanner?"

"No."

"So, all you have is money and things that have nothing to offer. Friends and family are worth far more than those jewels that you hold so dear. I'm going to find my friend, and if I come across your precious jewels in the process, I'll get them back for you."

"I'll help you. I'll fund any supplies you need or any money that you need."

"I appreciate that. I want what you owe me for delivering those jewels here. I did that."

Tanner nodded. "Right. I'll write you a check now."

Mac waited while he wrote the check. "You know, I used to put my job before everything, even my wife that I loved so dearly, and then I lost her. I realized that I lost what was really important."

Tanner tore the check from his book and gave it to Mac. "I know what you're trying to say, Taylor," he said. "I guess when you have money, you feel like you can't find someone who loves you, but they would just love your money."

"Don't you know the difference?"

"I don't know."

"Well, wasn't there a time when someone cared about you who didn't know anything about your money?"

Tanner frowned. "Well, I'm a well-known man."

"I guess so." Mac stood up. "I'll talk to you again."

Mac walked out of that office, but Tanner followed him to the front door. "You will let me know what's going on, won't you?" Tanner asked.

"Sure," Mac said.

"Maybe…"

Mac waited for him to go on. "Maybe what?"

"Maybe I could just go with you."

Mac shook his head. "No. You wouldn't want to do that. These are dangerous people."

"You think I know nothing?"

"I think you know plenty, but you're not a warrior."

"You think you're going to be fighting?"

"I don't think this is going to be easy."

Tanner smiled. "You know I have a black belt in Tai Kwon Do. I guess I got bored."

Mac just stared at him a moment. "Tai Kwon Do, huh?"

"Yes."

Mac thought this guy might be handy when he met up with the ones who stole those jewels. He certainly could not fight like that. "We'll talk again when I get some information."

Tanner nodded. Mac went out to the car he had rented. He wished he had his Avalanche but that was way back in Wyoming. He hated to send Connie home but he saw no reason for her to be here. He would not have any time for her anyway.

Mac went back to the hotel where Connie was waiting for him. "Well, what did he say?" she asked.

"He wants me to find his jewels because the insurance company is investigating him for insurance fraud."

"What do you think?"

"I don't think he had anything to do with it, but they're also accusing me of being in on it."

Connie's mouth dropped open. "What?"

Mac could hear that fire in her voice. "Now, just calm down, Babe. They won't have anything to find about me because I didn't have anything to do with that."

"The very idea that they would accuse you makes me mad."

"Tanner seems to be very nervous about it, but I told him that we have nothing to worry about because we're innocent. I'm going to call Jo later and find out what they know, but right now, I'm going to take you somewhere."

"Where?"

"You'll see."

"Oh, Mac, can't you just tell me?"

"Okay, party pooper. I'm taking you to see the Statue of Liberty, so dress warmly."

"We're not going up in the top, are we?"

"No, but it's cold out there."

"Oh."

When they were ready, they went down and got a cab. Mac got them tickets aboard the Ferry to go over to the island. Connie was amazed at how tall the Statue of Liberty really was. "I knew it was tall but I guess seeing it like this just makes it more real," she said. She took a picture of it from the Ferry.

"I knew you would enjoy this," Mac said. He felt his phone vibrating and looked to see that he had a message from Jo.

_Where are you? _Jo asked.

_Connie and I are looking at the Statue of Liberty. _Mac answered.

_I have some information for you. When can we meet?_

_ In about two hours?_

_ Good. I'll meet you at the diner._

_ Okay._

Mac wondered what kind of information she would have, but he would definitely meet her. He wanted to take Connie to that diner anyway. "What was that?" Connie asked.

"Jo wants to meet me at the diner," Mac said. "In two hours. So, I'm going to take you to the diner for supper."

Connie smiled. "Is that your favorite diner?"

Mac nodded. "I used to go there every morning when I didn't spend the night at the lab, and that became more likely all the time." He looked at Connie. "You were right about me."

Connie looked into his beautiful green eyes. "I know. I can read you like a book."

"I like that."

"Can you read me like a book?"

"Sometimes."

"I guess you'll get better at it over time, right?"

"I'm sure I will."

"What about your first wife? Did she read you?"

Mac smiled. "Yes. She knew what I was going to say most of the time before I said it." His smile faded. "Sometimes I wonder how she knew me so well when I was always working."

"She loved you, and you know, I'll just bet she knew how much you loved her."

Mac looked at Connie. "Doesn't it bother you to talk about my first wife?" he asked.

"No. I'm sure she loved you like I do, and I know how you love me. How could I be jealous of that?"

"How did you get so mature?"

Connie stroked his hair. "You can't change what happened in the past, and your feelings are important to me. You take such good care of me."

Mac grabbed her in a tight hug. "You make me happy. Let's go and get something to eat."

"Okay."

They left the hotel hand in hand and got into the car. Mac hated driving in New York sometimes but he did not like taking cabs all the time either. Connie looked up at the tall buildings, taller than any she had ever seen, and she could not even see the tops of them from where she was. "How do you survive in a place like this?" she asked. "How do you know where you're going?"

"I guess it's like any other place," Mac said. "You just learn over time. I would drive around and see where I was and find my way back where I was supposed to be. It's all about learning. I had to learn where to go in Jackson, and Dubois too. I was lost there for a while."

"You think a country girl like me could find her way in a place like this?"

"You're a very intelligent and determined woman. I think you would be able to make it anywhere."

Connie looked at him a little surprised. "You do?"

"Sure." Mac looked at her. "Why? Do you think you couldn't?"

"I don't know. It's so big and I wouldn't know where I was."

"You would learn, and besides, I would be here with you."

"You wouldn't want to live here again, would you?"

Mac shook his head. "I don't think so. I did what I wanted to do here and I just feel like I finished it."

"Show me some of your favorite places, places that you went to with Claire and Christine."

Mac swallowed hard. "Why?"

"Because, maybe it will make those places not seem so sad for you."

Mac knew it was not time for the meeting with Jo yet, so he turned down the street where Christine's restaurant was. "That was Christine's restaurant there," he said as they came to it. "She loved cooking, and she was good at it." Mac frowned as he saw that the name of the restaurant had been changed. He did not even know who owned it now but he supposed it was none of his business.

Mac drove on down the street and stopped at the park where he and Christine would sit on the park bench and talk when they got a minute together. "Come on," Mac said as he opened the car door.

Connie got out and Mac took her hand. They sat on the bench. "Christine and I used to sit here and talk about what we wanted to do in our lives together," Mac said.

Connie smiled. "I think we're going to have a house full of kids and be so happy that it might be illegal," she said.

Mac had to laugh at that. "A house full of kids?" he asked.

"Yes, three boys and three girls."

Mac's eyes got a little bigger at that suggestion. He looked at Connie. "Six?"

"Don't you want a big family?"

Mac thought of how long it would take to have that many children if they had any space between them. "Well, you know I'm almost fifty."

"Oh, Mac, will you stop putting limits on yourself?"

"You don't want to just have one right after the other, do you? I don't think that's good for a woman."

"Stop worrying. I'm good for at least fifteen more years."

"I know. I guess that kinda blew my mind when you said six."

"Just think of all the fun we'll have making them."

Mac smiled. "Are you trying to make it more appealing?"

"It's very appealing to me."

"What if we end up with four boys?"

"What if we end up with four girls?"

"I guess either one could happen."

They leaned back on the bench and Mac put his arm around Connie. "I think my life is about to get very exciting," he said.

"I think our life is already exciting," Connie replied. She put her hand on her stomach. "Just think about that little life growing."

"I think about it a lot. Something we created together."

"Our child will be running through our house and running around the yard."

Mac smiled at the thought of that. He remembered running and playing when he was a kid. Kids did not have stress unless someone else caused it. He had been stressed out a lot of his life, and he thought that had something to do with not getting enough sleep. He was a little stressed today because he wanted to find Danny, but he had to have that information Jo had to get started.

After a while, they got back in the car and went on to the diner. They went inside and got a table. "This is cozy," Connie said.

"Yeah, and they have good food here too," Mac replied.

The waitress came and took their orders and brought them some coffee. "Jo will be here soon," Mac said. "I hope she's got something for me that will help me find Danny."

"What could help you find him?"

"Well, I hope she has the names of the ones who were involved in this and I'll start with that."

"Then what?"

"I'll just have to follow the evidence."

When Jo arrived at the diner, she was her usual cheerful self, although concerned. She gave Mac a folder. "That's all the information that we've found so far," she said.

"How did you get all this for me?" Mac asked.

"Well, I had extra copies and I was going to throw them away anyway, so I just figured you should have them."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now, just don't get hurt or killed doing this."

"I'll do my best."

Jo looked at Connie. "And how are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm doing great," Connie said. "I have the best husband in the world, and I'm going to have a baby."

"You just take care of yourself and don't worry about this ornery man too much."

"Who are you calling ornery?" Mac asked.

"You."

Mac looked at Connie. "Do you think I'm ornery?" he asked.

"Maybe a little," Connie replied.

Mac started to open the folder but Jo stopped him. "Why don't you wait until you're back at your hotel?" she asked.

"You're not getting into trouble doing this, are you?" Mac asked.

"No, but I feel like somebody's watching me or something."

"Like who?"

"I don't know, but let's just try to keep this a secret. I included everything that Adam found out and all the test results from the lab. It ought to get you somewhere."

"What about you?"

"Well, if we meet up somewhere, it will be alright."

Mac was curious about what was in that folder, and he wanted to get back to the hotel to find out what was in there. He just hoped it would tell him where these people could be, and where they might be holding Danny.


	24. Chapter 24

Danny woke up in a room that seemed dusty and a little dank. He thought it looked like an old jail or something. It looked like something he had seen on a very old movie before. He sat up slowly as he was sore from the beating they had given him. He supposed that was because of his smart mouth. He did not like people pushing him around, but he supposed he should have just let it slide this time. He got off the "bed" he was on, which was nothing more than a piece of wood that was hung on the wall by chains. He walked over to the door which was also wooden and had one small window at eye level, or he figured it was eye level for someone who was about six feet tall, and it was covered with one of those small pieces of wood that slid back.

Danny saw that on the other side of the room was a window that had a wooden "door" on it. He was not sure how long he had been here but he looked at his watch and knew that it was the next night. They had not given him any food the day before. He knew Lindsay must be terribly worried. He wondered what they would do to him. Would they just leave him here? Would they try to use him for barter? He figured he had no easy way out of this mess he was in.

He stood on the bed and opened the window to look out. He was surprised when there were no bars on the windows, but he soon knew why. He looked out to see that he was in a tower, and he could see…a castle? "What?" Danny said to himself. It was dark outside so he could not see much, but there were a lot of lights on in that castle. He was being held in a tower at a castle? He knew there were some castles around the United States but he had never visited any of them except that time they had found a woman in a lake that time. He leaned out the window and thought he could see the ocean. He figured he might as well just wait till morning because he could not see anything out there right now.

Danny left the window open and sat down on the bed. He listened and thought he could hear the sound of the ocean out there in the distance. How did he get into this mess? He knew how he got into it…doing his job. It was just one of those things that gets out of control. He knew Mac must be blaming himself and he would be trying to find him rather than showing Connie around New York. Why did he not just wait for Mac before he opened that trap door? He lay down on the hard bed. He thought he would not be getting any rest, although he had heard that a harder bed was good for a bad back. His back still hurt at times since he had been shot that time. He just hoped he would get out of this alive.

Mac and Connie arrived back at their hotel room. Mac sat down on the bed and opened the folder that Jo had given him. Connie could see that he was anxious to see what was inside it. She went into the bathroom. Mac looked at the papers in the folder, and he thought he needed his reading glasses. He hardly ever wore them, but he had to at times. However, they were way back in Wyoming.

As Mac read over the papers, he found out who the guards were who had disappeared. Their names and addresses were there in the file. He would be going to pay them a visit or would try to pay them one. He was sure they would not be there but maybe he would find someone who knew who they were associated with.

Connie soon came out of the bathroom ready for bed. "What are you going to do?" she asked.

Mac looked at her. "I want to see if I can find something out tonight," he said.

"Can't you wait till morning?"

Mac shook his head. "The longer Danny's out there, the more danger he's in."

Connie sat down beside him and stroked his cheek. "Please be careful."

"I will. You get some rest, and don't lay here worrying."

"I'll try."

They shared a kiss and then Mac went to the door. "I love you," he said.

"I love you too, Mac," Connie replied.

Mac went out the door and went down to the car. He looked at the first address in the file. Truman Finch. He would just have to pay Mister Finch a visit, although he was sure he would not find him, but he might find someone who knew something.

Mac arrived at the first address. He thought he should probably have brought Don with him, but it was too late now. He went into the apartment building and up to the right floor. As he approached the right door, he suddenly felt very nervous. He touched the gun that he had but he really had no right to use it in a situation like this. He moved on to the door and knocked and then waited. He looked down the hall to see if anyone was looking and then tried the door knob after he put on a glove. The door was not locked so he pushed the door open and found an empty apartment.

Mac sighed as he looked into the empty apartment. He did not have a right to go into the apartment, but he was a private investigator, so he went in and closed the door, and made sure it was locked. He shined his flashlight around the place looking for any kind of clue. There was nothing in this apartment. They had definitely done a thorough job of cleaning it out. He had brought a small kit with him that he picked up at a store so he had a fingerprint kit. He dusted a few places that would most likely be touched by someone living in an apartment and got some good fingerprints. Doing that reminded him of the time they went to an apartment and a private investigator had already processed the scene. He hoped he would not be interfering by getting these fingerprints. He would have to share them with Jo anyway.

Mac looked around the apartment paying attention to closets or anywhere that anyone might have a hiding place. However, he supposed anything that might have been hidden in this place was taken. He wondered what they thought they would do with those jewels. Anyone who was rich enough to hire people to steal them was rich enough to help them get out of the country without using an airline or anything else that was monitored.

Mac went to the door of the apartment and opened it slightly. He did not see anyone in the hall so he left the apartment and went to the elevator. He had an idea of how he might find another lead. He drove over to the lab, and had to go through security to get up there. He shook his head as he was finally in the elevator. He thought it was strange that he had worked there all those years and now he had to go through a frisking to get up there. As he walked out of the elevator, he stopped a moment to look around. It certainly had not changed much, and he felt strange being there. He cleared his throat and went on to the lab.

Sheldon came from the lab when he saw Mac. "Hey, Mac," he said. "How have you been? I heard you were in New York."

"I'm doing okay," Mac said. "I was wondering if Adam is here."

"Yes, he's in there."

"I was hoping he could help me find something."

"I'm sure he would."

Mac went around to the computer lab and found Adam goofing off like he usually was with some computer game. Mac had to smile but he walked quietly into the lab and looked over Adam's shoulder. "Adam!" Mac said like he used to.

Adam jumped up out of his chair like he always had. "Mac," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for information."

"Oh. Well, you came to the right place."

"I was wondering if you could look up some millionaires for me, ones that like to collect jewels."

Adam started typing in his computer. "You think some millionaire stole those jewels?" he asked.

"No, I think he paid someone to do it for him."

"What about John Tanner?"

Mac shook his head. "No. This was someone else. I think John Tanner probably knows the person who did it too."

"You think he's hiding information?"

"No. I just think he probably knows the person."

"So, you're looking for someone associated with Tanner who likes to collect jewels?"

"Someone who is maybe a rival of his. You look for that for me while I give something to Sheldon."

Mac walked back to the lab where Sheldon was working on evidence. "Sheldon, will you run these fingerprints for me?" he asked.

"Sure," Sheldon replied. "Where are they from?"

"Do I have to tell you?"

Sheldon looked at him a moment. "I guess not."

Sheldon ran the fingerprints through the system and they waited. "So, how is life in Wyoming?" Sheldon asked.

"It's good, and quiet," Mac said. "I enjoy it."

"I can't imagine being out there away from a big city."

"I guess it's kinda shocking at first but then you get used to it and you sure do have a lot less stress."

Sheldon smiled. "Less stress is good."

"It is."

"How is it to know you're going to be a father?"

Mac smiled. "That's hard to explain. There are a lot of emotions that go with that."

"I asked Camille to marry me."

Mac was surprised. "What did she say?" he asked.

"She said yes, and we're going to get married next year."

"That's great, Sheldon."

"I hope you'll come to my wedding…or maybe we should come out there and get married in the mountains."

"Well, it would be a beautiful background out there."

"I think Camille would like to see the mountains. She's never been out west."

"I'm happy for you, Sheldon."

"Thanks."

"There's nothing like being married and having someone who shares everything."

Soon, the computer was beeping with a match to the fingerprint Mac had brought in. They looked at the screen and there were three possible matches. Sheldon took the prints out to compare them with the one Mac had brought in. As he was putting them under the light and microscope, Mac saw Chief Sinclair coming. "Uh oh," he said.

Sheldon looked around. "Uh oh is right," he replied.

Mac walked over to the door of the lab. "Mac Taylor," Sinclair said. "I heard you were up here. You don't work here anymore, do you?"

"I'm just visiting," Mac said.

"You wouldn't be analyzing evidence for him, would you, Sheldon?"

Sheldon was surprised by that question. "I was just comparing some fingerprints," he said.

"From where?"

"One of the suspects' apartments."

"Oh. I didn't know you guys had searched the apartments yet."

"Alright," Mac said. "He is looking at fingerprints for me. All I wanted was to see if they match the guy I'm looking for. I didn't know it was going to cause an international incident for me to ask for a little help."

"You don't run this lab anymore, Taylor, and you don't have any business here," Sinclair said. "I knew this was a strange hour to visit. I won't have you disrupting this lab for your own convenience."

"I'm not disrupting the lab. I was just talking to Sheldon."

"And he's working on evidence for you instead of working on stuff for this lab."

"It's just a fingerprint."

Sinclair looked at Sheldon. "You guys are not to analyze anymore evidence for him," he said. "Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," Sheldon replied.

Sinclair looked at Mac again. "When you get that, you get out of this lab."

Mac watched Sinclair leave. He knew that man was glad he was out of this lab. He looked at Sheldon. "I'm sorry for causing you trouble," he said.

"Don't worry about that," Sheldon replied. "He doesn't have to be such a crab." He gave the fingerprint result to Mac. "There you go."

"Thanks."

Mac looked at the fingerprint readout. "Truman Finch. That's who had the apartment rented. I wish I could have found some that didn't belong to him."

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that they stole those jewels for someone, and they may be out of the country right now." Mac looked at Sheldon. "Can you print out a fingerprint readout on Simon Youst? That way if I find fingerprints at his apartment, I can compare them myself."

"Sure."

Sheldon printed out Simon Youst's mug sheet. "Thanks a lot, Sheldon," Mac said. He looked toward the computer lab. "I don't want to get Adam in trouble."

"I'll get that information."

Sheldon went into the computer lab and got the information that Adam had for Mac. "I heard Sinclair," Adam said. "I almost shredded it."

"I'm glad you didn't," Sheldon replied. He took the information to Mac. "I wish I could go out there with you after Danny. Lindsay is taking this hard."

"Is she alright?"

"She didn't come in today, and she was having contractions last night."

Mac sighed. "I know this is my fault."

"No it's not, Mac."

"I have to find him."

"Just be careful. You know money…"

"Yes, I know it. Thanks for your help."

"You're welcome…and if you need anymore help, just ask."

Mac nodded and went to the elevator. He put the papers that they gave him in the lab inside his jacket. He did not want to just be so obvious. He turned in his visitor's badge and then went out to the car. He looked at the information that Adam had gotten, but he would have to look over that when he got back to the hotel. He wondered where Don was. He had not heard from him all day long.

Connie was in bed when Mac came into the hotel room. She turned the lamp on. "You're back," she said. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything's fine," Mac replied.

Mac went over to the bed and Connie just hugged him. "I told you not to lay here and worry," he said.

"I slept a little," Connie said. "Where did you go?"

"I went to that apartment and then I went to the lab. I almost got thrown out of the lab but I got some information."

"Why did you almost get thrown out?"

"Sinclair doesn't like me being there. He was too glad when I left."

"After all your years of service there?"

"I wasn't easy to boss around when I was there. I didn't mind going nose to nose with him."

Connie smiled. "I can imagine. You must have been the bulldog in that place."

"I guess I was."

"I'll bet you barked a lot."

Mac laughed. "I bet I did."

"So what is this information you're looking at?" Connie asked.

"Adam gave me a list of millionaires who like to collect jewels," Mac said.

"Is it a long list?"

"Actually, no, it's a short list of only five."

"Hmmm. I would have thought anyone would like jewelry."

Mac looked at her. "You like jewelry a lot?" he asked. "I haven't noticed that you did."

"I like rings. I think they're beautiful."

"Rings, huh?"

"Yes."

"They might get in the way on that job we do."

"Oh, I never wear any to do that."

Mac remembered how Jo had a ring even on her thumb when she was working at the lab but she had to take them off when she was working on evidence. He had never worn anything but his wedding ring, but he supposed men did not wear much jewelry anyway.

"Are you going to get in the bed tonight?" Connie asked.

"I suppose," Mac replied.

He got ready for bed and got in, but he was still studying the information he had gotten from the lab. He looked at the addresses of the people on his list. He supposed it would be hard to connect any of them with those two guards who betrayed their position. There had to be some sort of connection though and if it was findable, he would find it. He yawned as he kept on reading. He had to get some rest. He was not used to staying up at all hours anymore. He looked at Connie who was already sleeping. He laid his file on the nightstand and turned the light out. He pulled Connie into his arms and lay down. He would take up that investigation again in the morning.


	25. Chapter 25

When morning came, Mac was awakened by his phone ringing. He reached to the table and found the phone. "Hello," he answered.

"Mac, are you still asleep?" Jo asked.

"Yes, I was."

"I thought you were an early bird."

"I guess I'm not this morning."

"I heard you were at the lab last night," Jo said.

"I was," Mac replied.

"I can't believe he practically threw you out of here."

"It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me."

"I know you didn't call to talk about that."

"I called to tell you that we're about to go and investigate those apartments, but I see you've already been in one of them."

"Well, the door was unlocked."

"Really?"

"Yes. All I did was dust that one place."

"We'll be going to the other apartment too," Jo said.

"Why don't you just tell me if you find anything?" Mac asked. "Oh, and by the way, Truman Finch's apartment is cleaned out."

"They obviously had all this planned."

"We just have to figure out who helped them plan it."

"And where is Danny?"

"I hope when we get to the bottom of this, we'll find him…alive."

"Me too, Mac. I'll let you know what I find."

"Thanks."

Mac ended the call and laid the phone back on the table. He sighed as he thought of Danny. He had been in the hands of criminals for two days, and they still had no clue as to where he could be.

Connie slid her arm around Mac and kissed his back. "What's the matter?" she asked.

"I'm just thinking about Danny," Mac said. "I hope he's alright."

"I believe you'll find him."

Mac turned over toward Connie. "I just hope it won't be too late," he said.

"Me too," Connie replied. "What are you planning to do today?"

"I have to wait for more information."

"Jo is going to give you more?"

"Yes. I just hope they don't get into trouble helping me."

"I'm starving," Connie said.

"Why don't you call for room service again, or do you want to go out?"

"I would like to go out but if you don't want to, we can order room service again."

"We'll go get something."

Danny was pacing around in that room. He was sure he was in a tower now because the sun was up and he could see out, and definitely see a castle out there. It was unbelievable. He had seen the ocean when he leaned out the window too. He thought he was on an island. He wondered how long they were going to keep him in this place. Then he heard something outside the door, and it sounded like footsteps.

Danny watched the door a moment and then heard a loud, metallic squeak, and wood moving. The door opened and a young woman came in with a tray. "Your breakfast," she said.

"Where am I?" Danny asked. "You don't have any right to keep me here like this."

"Just eat."

The woman turned to go back out the door but Danny went after her. However, there was a man outside the door with a gun. "Just stay back," he said.

Danny sighed. "Let me go," he demanded. "I have a wife who's going to have a baby!"

They closed the door and Danny heard it lock again. "Hey!" he yelled and hit the door. He looked at the tray and had to admit he was hungry. He went over to the tray and uncovered the plate which had everything he could want for breakfast. He just wanted out of this place but he would eat. He sat in that window and looked out while he ate. There was definitely no way out of this tower except through the door. He looked at the side of the tower and upward. He could see that the window he was sitting in had a big shutter decoration around it and up at the top. However, he could not climb out using that, because the top of this tower was just like one would expect…pointed. He looked at that castle which had spires that looked like they would reach the sky almost.

When he was done eating, Danny sat down on that makeshift bed and took out his wallet, which they had not taken from him. He looked at a picture he had in there of Lindsay and Lucy. He missed them so much, and he had tried not to think that he would not see them again. He just hoped Lindsay was alright. He knew she had to be upset about this situation. He wished he could at least talk to her and let her know he was okay right now.

Lindsay was lying in bed thinking about Danny. Every time she tried to get up, she had contractions so the doctor had advised her to stay in bed as much as possible. Jo had come over there that morning and fed Lucy for her and even fixed her some breakfast. Jo always seemed to understand everything. She had been through a lot in her life, and she knew what it was like to be pregnant too. Lindsay thought right now, she missed her mother more than she had since the day she passed away. What she would not give to see her mother walk into this apartment.

Mac and Connie arrived at the restaurant in the hotel to eat breakfast. There were not a whole lot of people there so they had no trouble getting a table, and there was a buffet with everything one could think of on it. "Would you look at that?" Connie asked as they got in the line.

"Almost reminds me of home at the ranch," Mac said.

"I miss the ranch and working there."

"I do too. I wish we were there right now and none of this ever happened."

Connie looked at him. "Mac, you can't change anything."

"I know that but just look what a mess things are now."

"We'll get through it."

Mac knew they would get through it but he just hoped everyone came out alive. They got their food and sat down at the table. Mac picked at his food. "Stop worrying," Connie said. "Eat."

Mac took a bite of his food and then thought while he chewed. He thought about all those people who collected jewels. He wanted to know if any of them knew John Tanner, and if any of them considered him a rival. He would just have to go and talk to Tanner and find that out. He supposed Connie could go with him to see Tanner. He hoped it would be a peaceful meeting. He looked at Connie. Sometimes he thought she looked so young, and he felt almost guilty for letting himself fall in love with her.

Connie looked into Mac's eyes, and he looked down. "What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"A lot of things," Mac said.

"Tell me."

"Well, I have to go see Tanner, so I thought I would take you with me."

"That's fine. Was that so hard to say?"

"No. I'm just thinking about a lot of things."

"Like what?"

Mac shook his head. He knew this woman was the only one he would pour his whole heart out to. "Sometimes I look at you and I just think…"

Connie waited a moment. "Think what?"

Mac looked into her big blue eyes and he thought he could see his whole world in there. "Sometimes I think you look so young, and I feel so guilty."

Connie frowned. "Guilty of what?" she asked.

Mac heard that scolding tone in her voice. She definitely had no problems expressing her feelings to him. "Now, don't get your feathers all ruffled," he said.

"They're already ruffled."

"Okay, sometimes I feel guilty for letting myself fall in love with you."

"Mac Taylor, why on earth would you feel like that?"

"I don't know, it just crosses my mind sometimes."

"I could not be happier than I am. Don't you ever say that again, and don't you ever let yourself feel like that again. I love you, Mac."

"I know you do."

"You surely know that our love is real."

"Oh yes, I know that."

"Then stop feeling guilty about loving me."

"Okay."

Connie shook her head. "I can't believe we're even having this conversation," she said.

"I'm sorry," Mac said. "Forgive me."

"Oh, I forgive you. I just can't believe you thought that."

"I can't either."

"So, what are you going to see Tanner about?"

"I'm going to see if he has any rivalry with any of these people I have on my list."

"Oh, and narrow down the list?"

"Something like that."

When they were done with breakfast, they went over to John Tanner's mansion. "Wow," Connie said when she saw it.

"It's something, isn't it?" Mac asked.

"Are you sure I should go in there?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, I'm not exactly dressed like a movie star."

"Oh, please. Neither am I."

They got out of the car, but before Mac could ring the doorbell, the door opened. "Mister Tanner will see you out back," the woman at the door said.

"Thanks," Mac replied.

"Come this way."

They followed the woman to the back of the house, and Tanner was sitting at a table on the patio. "Have a seat," Tanner said.

Mac and Connie sat down at the table. "So, this is the lovely wife," Tanner said.

"Yes," Mac replied. "This is Connie."

"Would you like some coffee? I like to sit here in the mornings and drink my coffee while I watch the ocean."

"No thanks, we just had breakfast," Mac said.

"So, what can I do for you? Do you have a lead?"

"I have five, and I want you to look at this list and tell me if you have a rivalry with any of these men."

Tanner looked at the list, and frowned. "Fred Harrison, and Chip Dewry." He gave the list back to Mac. "You think one of them stole my jewels?"

"I think it's possible. I'm going to pay them a visit, and maybe I'll get my friends to help."

"Why don't I go with you and I can pretend I'm visiting an old rival?" Tanner suggested.

Mac shook his head. "I don't know about that," he said.

"Come on. I know where they live. Fred lives out there in that big castle and has several women living there too, I might add. He hardly ever leaves the place, but he had plenty of people who work for him."

"Castle?"

"Yeah, an old castle, and it has plenty of places that he could hide your friend."

"I assume you've been in this castle?"

"I have. He used to have lavish parties out there, and probably still does, but I am not in the least interested."

"Why?"

"Too much sex."

Mac was surprised by that statement, and Connie looked a little shocked. "Well, we'll try to avoid his parties," Mac said.

"That might be a good way to get in and look around," Tanner said.

Mac scowled at that suggestion. "How would we get invited to one of these parties?"

"Mac, you wouldn't go to a sex party, would you?" Connie asked.

"Only as a detective, not as anything else."

"I can definitely get invited," Tanner said. "I'm sure that Fred wouldn't want to look suspicious by not inviting me."

"You know he's not going to display those jewels there," Mac said.

"No, but he could have them anywhere in that place. It must have three or four hundred rooms."

"What does anyone need with that many rooms?"

"I don't know, but I'll just bet he's going to have a Halloween party tomorrow or the next night."

Mac considered that. "I'll just bet you're right," he said. "You think it will be a costume party?"

"I'm sure it will." Tanner smiled. "It'll be perfect."

Connie smiled. "Mac is going to wear a costume?" she asked.

Mac looked at her. "Don't get any ideas," he said. "I'm not wearing anything weird."

"I know the perfect thing for you if we can go to a costume shop."

"Great," Tanner said. "What about you, Mrs. Taylor, will you be going?"

"No," Mac interrupted. "I'm not taking her into something like this. She's pregnant. She's staying at the hotel."

"Mac."

"I'm not arguing with you about this, Connie. It's out of the question. What if I had to go down there and get in a fight or something?"

"A fight?"

"Well, I'm not exactly going down there to have a good time."

"I'll contact you when I get something," Tanner said.

"Thanks," Mac replied.

Mac and Connie went out to the car. Connie folded her arms as Mac was driving away from the mansion. "Don't get your back up about this," Mac said. "You knew that I was going after dangerous people."

"Mac, I don't want you to get killed, or even hurt."

"There's no guarantee that I'm going to get hurt. Maybe I will go in there and find Danny and just leave."

"I get to choose your costume, so just go over to a costume shop."

Mac looked at her and he knew he might as well not argue because he was going to do something she would be worried about. "Okay."

Mac drove to a costume shop and he and Connie went inside. "Connie, I am not wearing any tights," Mac declared. "I'm letting you know that right now."

"Don't worry," Connie said. "I wouldn't want you to wear that anyway."

"Good."

Connie almost laughed. She knew the perfect costume for him. Mac followed her dreading this whole thing. He wondered if he could have done this some other way, but he did not know of any other way that he could get into that mansion without any suspicions.

After a few arguments, and Connie's persuasive ways, they finally left the costume shop with the "perfect" costume for Mac. "I can't believe this," he said as they got into the car.

"I can," Connie replied. "I'm going to make you look so good."

"I don't like dressing up."

"Well you have to this time, so you might as well get over your shyness."

"Shyness?"

"Yes, you are one of the shiest people I have ever seen."

"There you go, criticizing me."

"I am not. I love you just the way you are, but you're going to have to get over it for now."

"I wish I could have picked a costume out for you."

"And just what would you choose?"

"I don't know, but I would have found something very embarrassing."

"Mac Taylor, this is not an embarrassing costume."

"Okay, I'll give you that, but…"

"But nothing. Let's not argue anymore."

Mac thought he might as well not argue. He had to go through with it because John Tanner was getting their invitations and he had to go to this party to try and find Danny. He had to admit it was a good plan. They would be there in the castle and no one would suspect anything because they were supposed to be there. He thought maybe it would work.


	26. Chapter 26

"It's a masquerade party, Mac!" Connie said as she was helping Mac get into his costume for the party. "This is perfect."

"Connie, don't…"

"Stand still."

Mac stood in front of the mirror in the hotel room looking at himself dressed like Zorro. He had to admit, no one would know who he was in this get-up. It was definitely a complete costume, sword and all. "Don't you know Zorro is a lady's man?" he asked.

"You're a lady's man too…mine."

Connie finally got the last piece of his costume fixed and then looked in the mirror at him. She smiled. "Oh, you're so sexy in that," she said.

"Don't say that," Mac said.

"I will too. You want me to put on some red lipstick and leave some lip marks on your cheek?"

"No, thanks." Mac looked in the mirror. "I think I have to go to the bathroom now."

"Mac!"

Mac laughed. "I'm just kidding." He turned sideways and looked at the cape. "I never thought I would see myself dressed like this."

"You never thought you would be married to me either, so lighten up."

Connie went into the bedroom, and Mac followed her. She got her cell phone out. "I have to take a picture," she said.

"Connie."

"Don't argue! And you could have a little pose for me."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes."

Mac drew his sword and posed for her, and she took the picture. "How was that?" he asked.

"That was awesome," Connie replied.

"You're not sending that to people are you?"

"Of course."

"Oh brother. Cell phones in New York and Wyoming are lighting up now."

Connie laughed. "You're so silly."

Mac sat down on the bed and looked at his watch. It was still two hours before the party started, and John was coming to pick him up in his limousine. He would arrive at the party in style. He wished he could take Connie with him but it could be dangerous.

Soon, Connie's phone was jingling with text messages, and she was laughing at the responses she got about Mac's costume. "You're not going to let me know what they said, are you?" Mac asked, but then his phone beeped with a message. He got his phone and saw that he had a message from Jo. He could imagine what that one would say.

"_I knew this woman was good for you. I just love it."_

Mac thought a moment and then typed, _She sure is good for me, but I don't like dressing up for Halloween anyway._

_ Don't be so stiff. Loosen up a little, and have fun._

Mac did not even reply to that. They did not know where he was going and what kind of party it was, and he did not want them to know either. He just hoped he did not get into any embarrassing situations that could be misunderstood. Then again, he knew that Connie knew he loved her only.

"Mac, what are you sitting there fretting about now?" Connie asked.

"I'm not fretting," Mac said.

"It looks like fretting to me."

"Well, I'm a little nervous about this party."

"Why?"

"You know what kind of party it is. People go there to pick up somebody."

"You know you're not going to do that…are you?"

"Of course not. I'm just wondering what John is going to do there."

"That doesn't matter."

Just then, someone knocked on the door. Mac went to the door and John's chauffer was there. "Are you ready, sir?" he asked.

"I am," Mac said.

"We're waiting for you."

"You could have just called."

The man just stood there. "My boss likes face to face service."

"Oh."

Mac kissed Connie. "I'll be back later," he said.

"Just be careful," Connie said.

"I will. I love you."

"I love you too."

Mac went out the door and headed for the elevator. He got some strange looks from some people in the hallway. He wondered if they had ever seen anyone dressed up for Halloween before. He and the chauffer got into the elevator and went down. The limo was waiting outside the front door. The chauffer grabbed the handle before Mac could open the door himself. "Thanks," he said.

John was in the limo, but he was dressed like the Wolf Man. "Get in," he said.

Mac got into the limo, and John gave him his invitation. "I guess this is it," he said as the car was pulling away.

"What is your plan?" John asked.

"I don't know that yet. I haven't seen that place yet."

"You mean you haven't studied it at all?"

"What is there to study? I don't think I'm going to find a detailed map of the place online."

John took a piece of paper from a box and gave it to Mac. Mac unfolded the paper and it was a diagram of that castle, floor by floor, and all the grounds too. "This place is huge," he said. "If they have Danny in there, he could be anywhere."

"You're right, but look at that." John pointed to one of the diagrams on the paper. "That's a tower with a spiral staircase in it. There are three towers at that castle. There is also an old dungeon down there."

Mac frowned. "Why would they want to keep Danny in there?" he asked.

"Probably because he saw them, and they don't want to just kill him, and they probably don't think anyone will ever find him there."

Mac sighed. "They could be right," he said.

"If he's there, we'll know my jewels are there as well, and then I can get the police involved."

Mac nodded. "Right."

"I'm concerned about your friend too but I want those jewels back. I think that working together like this, we can both find what we're looking for."

"You're probably right."

They soon arrived at the parking area for the castle, and they had to ride a boat over to the island where the castle was. Mac's cape billowed in the wind as they were on the boat on their way over there. He supposed he kinda liked dressing up as Zorro. The mask covered his head and came down over his eyes, and he was wearing a black hat. The only one at that party who would know who he was, was John.

They arrived at the castle and they gave their invitations to the guards at the door. Then they were inside. Mac could hardly believe it. The room was huge, bigger than his whole house, and there were a lot of people in there. Some were dancing and some were already talking to someone. There were tables of food, of course, a coffin full of candy. There was also a drink bar.

Mac was not sure what he should do, but he figured he better not look like he did not know what to do. John was already mingling. Mac cleared his throat and went on over to the food tables. He ate a cracker that had cheese on it with some other mixture. It actually tasted very good so he ate another one. He was studying the room while he picked over the food. There were two staircases that went up from this room, and there was also a hallway that went either way too. He could not imagine searching this whole place for someone. He hoped he could figure out where those two towers were. He had seen that diagram but actually looking at the real thing was nothing like looking at a diagram.

Mac got himself a cup of coffee and wandered over to the door to look out. It was a beautiful view even at night. There were plenty of lights out there to show what was out there. When he was done with his coffee, he went over to the other windows in the room. Then a woman came over to him. "Hi, Sugar," she said. "You sure are a sexy one."

Mac almost jumped when she found it her privilege to check the firmness of his behind. She grabbed his hands and then they were dancing. "So, how did you get invited to this party?" she asked.

"Just lucky, I guess," Mac said. He supposed he better not act too suspicious or he would blow his cover. He tried not to look nervous about dancing with the woman.

"I come to these parties cause I'm just bored with my millions. I have absolutely nothing to do."

"Really? Well, that's…terrible."

"Why don't we go to my room and get better acquainted?"

"Your room?"

"Oh yes, I always rent a room for this."

"You have a habit of picking up strange men at these parties?"

"I sure do, and I've never had a Zorro before."

Mac swallowed hard. He was beginning to think this was not such a good idea. If he just completely refused to get involved in this party, people would start wondering why he was there. This woman was dressed in a dress that looked like it had a corset with it that pushed up her abilities and the top was so low, that Mac thought only the essential area was covered. She had long auburn hair that was curled into those spiral curls, and Mac wondered if that was a wig. She was wearing a fancy dark red mask that sparkled and Mac did not think it was glitter or sequins on it that sparkled. As a matter of fact, he knew they were not sequins or glitter when he started looking at them. It was glittering jewels, and some that even hung down on jeweled decorations.

Mac did not know how he could get away from this woman without someone noticing and she would probably not let it go without making a scene. "Come on, Baby, let's go to my room," she said and kissed him.

Mac finally got away from her kiss, and continued dancing. "You're a little shy, aren't you?" the woman asked. "I'll fix that."

Mac was not sure what to say. "So, where is your room?" he asked.

"It's out there where no one will hear us no matter how loud we get."

"Really?"

Just then, John came up to them. "Is my pal here a little nervous?" he asked.

"I think so," the woman said. "Why? Are you brave?"

"Yeah."

"Then why don't we just take him with us?"

Mac thought this was getting worse all the time. Now, he was being dragged off to some room for a threesome. He thought he would be sick at just the thought of that. As they went down that hallway, Mac realized this would probably be a good way to get into another part of the castle. He supposed that was what John thought too, but Mac had no desire to be in on this.

They soon arrived at a room that had a double king sized bed in it. Mac went on in wishing he could find a way out of this without drawing suspicion. "You go in the bathroom," John said. "My pal and I will wait for you."

"I'm not shy," the woman said.

"He doesn't like undressing in front of strangers."

"Okay then, but I won't be long."

The woman went into the bathroom. "Get on out of here," John whispered.

"What about you?" Mac asked.

"Well, I'll just get me some while you're looking for your friend, now go!"

"You don't even know that woman!"

"One of us has to stay. Do you want to stay?"

"NO."

"Then go!"

Mac went over to the door. He thought there was a better way than that but he went on and ran down that hallway and turned to the left. He came to a door that led into an old hallway that went across the yard. It even had green moss growing in it. There was another door at the other end of this hallway and then he was in another part of the castle. He had never been in a castle and he had no idea how to look for the place to go up to a tower. He was careful as he walked around the curving hallway and looked for doorways. There were plenty of doorways in this place. He soon found one that went outside, so he went out and made sure there was no one out there. He looked up at the castle to look for the towers as he made his way back toward the main part of the castle. He could see people outside talking and even dancing, and drinking too. Some were walking beside the ocean.

Mac watched them a moment, thankful that he was wearing all black. He could see the two towers on the main part of the castle. He wondered if there was a way in from outside. He could also see a tower that was out away from the main castle and connected to what he figured was a guest house. He hoped he would be able to get into those towers before the party was over. He stared at the two at the main house, and they looked terribly lonely, and he looked at the one at the guest house. For some reason, he did not think that one looked quite as lonely as the other two. He thought he could even see a flicker of light around what looked like a window. He looked around him and no one seemed to know that he was anywhere around, so he headed back to the guest house. He got around to the tower but there was no way in from outside. He would have to go into that maze and find the door that went up to that tower.

Mac got into the guest house, and he was surprised that it was not locked. He supposed Fred Harrison thought everyone should be able to go wherever they wanted during one of these parties. He wondered if he had this house rented out to someone for when they decided they found someone they wanted to be with. Mac shook his head with that thought. He could hardly believe people still picked up strangers like that.

Mac stopped and tried to orient himself as to where that tower was from his position. He went down a hallway to his left that seemed to go on a long time, but he finally came to a curve and in that curve was a wooden doorway that seemed to be in a rounded wall. He thought that must be the door to the tower. He tried the knob, but the door was locked. He thought every door in this place was unlocked except this one. That made him even more curious. He looked at the lock on that door and it was one of those skeleton key locks. He had nothing on him to pick a lock.

Just as Mac was about to look around to find something, he heard someone coming down that hallway. He hid behind the edge of the rounded wall and waited to see who was coming. He wondered what they would do to him if he was caught in this house.


	27. Chapter 27

As Mac waited, he heard the footsteps coming closer down the hallway. He thought he was going to start sweating with this bandana on his head. "Mac Taylor," someone whispered.

Mac was surprised and did not know whether to answer or not. "Mac Taylor," the whisper came again.

Then the Wolf Man came around the corner. Mac thought he almost jumped. "John, what are you doing here?" he whispered.

"I came to help you," John said. "What do you think I'm doing?"

"I thought you were with that…woman."

"Aw, that didn't take long."

Mac rolled his eyes. "Well, there's a door here that I believe goes up to that tower, and it seems to be the only locked door in this place."

John looked at the door. "A skeleton key," he said.

"Yeah. Where are we supposed to get something to open that?"

"Just wait right here."

Mac hated waiting but he stood in that corner while John went back down the hallway. He hoped he would not take long to get something because he was afraid someone was going to show up in this house since it was not locked.

Soon, John came back with a ring of keys that looked like they might fit that door. "Where did you get that?" Mac asked.

"In the key drawer," John said. He held up a bunch of grapes. "Want one?"

"Isn't that stealing?"

"Nah. He's got the whole place open."

"Just give me to keys."

Mac took the keys and started trying them in that lock, and he finally found one that opened the door. "You stay here while I go check," Mac whispered.

"Sure," John agreed. "I'll get me some more of that food in there."

"Good."

Mac went through the door and there was a stairway that went almost straight up but wound around. He started up the stairway and it wound all the way to the top of the tower, and then he came to a short hallway with two doors, one on each side of the hallway. He walked over to the doors, and could definitely see a little light under one of the doors. He pulled the piece of wood back that covered the small window. "Danny?" he whispered.

Danny was surprised to hear his name. "Who's there?" he asked.

Mac did not know if he had ever been so relieved. "Danny! It's me, Mac!"

Danny ran over to the door. "Mac! How did you find me?"

"Never mind. I've got to get you out of here!"

Mac got the key ring again and began trying the keys and finally found one that opened that door. Danny grabbed Mac in a hug. "I'm sorry this happened," Mac said.

"It wasn't your fault," Danny said. He looked at how Mac was dressed. "I would have never thought I would be rescued by Zorro."

Mac shook his head. "Well, it's a masquerade, Halloween party, and this was Connie's idea."

Danny smiled, but then his smile faded. "How's Lindsay?" he asked.

"She's alright, but she'll be better when she sees you."

"Let's get out of here."

"Are you alright?"

"A little hungry and a little sore, but I'll make it."

"Good."

They went down the winding staircase and Mac opened the door that went into the hallway. He started out but then he heard something…

"Hey, the door was open!" John declared. "I didn't think it would matter if I was in here!"

"You know you're not supposed to be in here!" someone said sternly. "I should have you escorted away from this place! Get back over there to the party!"

Mac and Danny got back inside the door, and Mac locked it from the inside. They leaned against the walls and waited. Mac heard the door knob and he watched as someone shook that door knob. He knew someone would be suspicious now if they saw someone come from this house and they would be watching. He heard the footsteps go back down the hallway, and then he waited until he heard the front door close.

"Come on," Mac whispered. He unlocked the door, and he and Danny got out of there. Mac locked the door back, and they went down the hallway.

"How am I supposed to blend in?" Danny asked.

"Don't worry, we're prepared for that too," Mac whispered.

Mac knew with the lights on in this place, he would not be able to hide, so they went down another hallway that led to the back of the guest house, and they soon came to another door. They got outside and were right beside the water now. Mac eased around the edge of the house. "Stay here," he whispered to Danny.

Danny squatted behind some bushes and watched around the corner as Mac made his way back toward the main house. He could see Mac's cape flying behind him as he ran, but it was very dark out there and he thought if he did not know Mac was there, he might not see him.

Mac got back over to the main house and out to the bushes where the bag was that contained Danny's costume he was to put on. Then he made his way back around to where Danny was. "It may take us a while to get out of here," Mac whispered. "But if you have this on, no one will know who you are."

Danny nodded as he was taking the costume from the bag. "A pirate?" he whispered.

"Yeah," Mac said. "You'll have on that mask and there's an electric razor in there for you to smooth up too."

"Great. Lucy would love this costume."

"Well, it's rented but I'm sure she will see it before you have to take it back."

Danny got into the costume and stuffed his clothes into the bag. He shaved off the beard he had grown while he was in that place and then they were ready to go over to the party. They sneaked around the edge of the house and then ran over to the main castle. "By the way, this is a sex party," Mac whispered.

"A sex party?"

"Yeah, so be careful. We have to find John."

"John?"

"Yeah, John Tanner."

"He came with you?"

"Yes."

They went on to the house and walked in as though they belonged there. Mac tried not to draw attention to himself but he thought he was the only person in there who was dressed in all black and was carrying a sword. However, Danny had a sword too.

They mingled in the crowd until Mac saw John across the room talking to another woman. Mac wondered where the woman he had met before had gone. He hoped she did not see him again. He made his way over to John Tanner who was talking to another woman who was wearing a blue dress and mask much like the red one that the other woman had been wearing. "Hi," Mac said.

"Hi, Handsome," the woman said.

"I need to talk to your consort here if you'll excuse us."

John went with Mac over to the back doors of the castle which were open now. "How many women do you plan to…where is that other woman?" Mac asked.

"I didn't have sex with her," John said. "I just handcuffed her to the bed, covered her up and left."

"You…you mean you cuffed her to that bed and left her?" Mac whispered.

"Somebody will find her eventually."

"Yeah, maybe somebody who will take advantage of her."

John just stared at Mac a moment. "You really care that much about her?" he asked.

"I wouldn't leave anyone in that position. You get Danny out of here and wait for me at the dock."

"Mac, you're a piece of work, you know that?"

"So are you."

Danny came over to them. "So what's the plan?" he asked.

"You're going with John out to the dock," Mac said. "I'm going to free his prisoner."

"What?"

"He can explain it to you." Mac held out his hand to John. "The key?"

John gave him the handcuff key. "See you later, Mac."

Mac made his way across the house and went down the hallway where that woman's room was. He could not believe John would leave that woman in there like that. He found the room again and found that it certainly was not locked. He went into the room, and the woman was definitely on the bed cuffed.

"You just wait till I get out of here!" she exclaimed. "I'm going to report you to Fred!"

"I didn't do anything," Mac said. "I came in here to let you loose, but if you're going to threaten me, maybe I'll just lock the door and leave you here."

"No, please. Don't leave me here like this."

"My friend was just a little shy, I guess." Mac went over to the bed to unlock the cuffs.

"I guess you were too. You left."

"I'm sorry, but I wasn't here for this."

Mac got one cuff undone and then went to the other side of the bed. He unlocked the cuff, but as soon as he had it undone, the woman threw the covers back and grabbed him. "Hey!" Mac said.

She got one of the cuffs on his wrist and cuffed him to the bed. "What are you doing?" Mac asked. He tried to keep her from getting the cuff key, but she threw him down in the floor and sat on him. Mac thought she would break his wrist or his arm as it was cuffed to that bed. She wrestled the key away from him, and then grabbed the other pair of cuffs. Mac relieved the pressure off his arm. "Give me that key!" he demanded.

"Not on your life," the woman said and threw the key across the room.

Mac swallowed hard as he wondered what she intended to do. She was still nude. She walked over in front of him and squatted facing him. Mac glared at her. "If you're trying to seduce me, it won't work," he said.

"I'm not," the woman said. "I'm just going to leave you here like this. Maybe someone will find you eventually. Isn't that what your friend said?"

"I didn't leave you in here like that. I came to let you out."

"Thanks, but since he's not here, I'm going to let you take his punishment."

"Come on, don't leave me in here like this."

The woman got dressed in her dress again and put her mask on. "We could have had so much fun together," she said and walked over to the door. "Tata."

"Hey! Don't leave me in here!" Mac said but it was no use. He sat down beside the bed and frowned. "This is what I get for trying to be a gentleman." He had not brought his phone with him, for one reason because there was no place to carry it in his outfit. He knew Danny would not leave him here, but he hoped they would not get into trouble trying to find him again. That woman would definitely recognize John in that Wolf Man outfit. Mac thought this could be a very embarrassing situation, but there was no way he could get loose from those cuffs. She had made sure they were tight.

Mac stood up and looked at the bed frame. It was made of iron, and a solid shape. He could not break that nor could he take it apart. He was stuck until someone came and let him loose.

Danny and John were waiting out at the dock to get on the boat. "Where is he?" Danny asked. "Does it take this long?"

John considered that. "She might have been a little mad," he said.

"A little mad? What do you mean?"

"Well, I…she was made when I left."

"And she might be taking that out on Mac now?"

"He should have known she was mad."

"Do you always cause this much trouble?" Danny did not know whether they should go back in there or not. They could get into a lot of trouble especially if that woman saw John. "Where do I go?"

"You're going back in there?" John asked.

"Somebody has to go in there and find Mac," Danny declared. "You can't."

John explained to Danny where the room was. "You better hurry," he said. "If you're caught in there, all this will have been for nothing."

"Yeah, and it will all be your fault. You could have just left like Mac did."

"I guess so."

Danny went back to the house. He had not been around anyone in there so no one would know him. He made his way across the house and down the hallway that John had specified. He found the room and went in. "Mac!" he whispered.

Mac sat up behind the bed. "Danny, thank God!" Mac said. "Get me out of here! The key is over there somewhere."

Danny looked until he found the key and then he unlocked the cuff on Mac's arm. Mac rubbed his wrist. "I think it's injured," he said.

"Let's get out of here. We've pushed our luck."

"I know it."

They went over to the door and started to go out, but there was someone coming down the hall, and it looked like one of the guards. Mac closed the door. "What do we do now?" Danny asked.

"Get over there and hide," Mac whispered.

Danny went and got into the closet, and Mac was surprised when the man in the hall shoved the door open. "What are you doing?" Mac asked.

"A lady down there said you left her locked in here," the man said.

"I didn't," Mac replied. "I came in here to let her loose."

"We don't allow that kind of hanky panky around here. You don't leave someone cuffed to a bed."

"I told you…"

"Sure. You're the one in the room. Now, get out of here. You're leaving."

Mac did not know what to do to get Danny out of there now, but Danny would just have to get out on his own. He went with the guard and was escorted outside to the dock where John was supposed to be waiting but he was not in the boat. "See ya," the guard said.

Mac frowned and waited for the guard to get away. Then he looked around for John. "Where are you?" he whispered.

"I'm over here," John said as he came out of his hiding place.

Mac grabbed him by the shirt collars. "This is the last time I ever do anything like this with you!" He shoved him. "Now, Danny is in there and has to find his way out!"

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry! That is…" Mac was angry now. He felt like punching the guy but his wrist hurt too badly. He rubbed his left wrist which was the one cuffed to the bed. He was glad he had gloves on so at least none of his fingerprints were left in that house.

Mac paced back and forth and finally, he saw Danny coming. Danny came out to the boat. "I hope you never take that guy anywhere else," he said.

"Don't worry," Mac replied.

They got into the boat and headed over to the car. "You know what this means, don't you?" John asked.

"What?" Mac asked.

"That means that he has my jewels."

Mac knew that was right. "Well, that's not my authority to take care of," he said. "You will have to let the police do that."

"You went in there and got your friend out. I'll pay you dearly if you go in there after my jewels."

"I can't go back in there!" Mac said. "Thanks to your little stunt, I got thrown out!"

"Oh."

"Oh!" Mac mocked. "You're a piece of work."

"So are you. If you had just left the woman in there, this wouldn't have happened."

"Danny, shut him up before I introduce my fist to his face."

"Sit down over there," Danny demanded. "We don't need anymore of your suggestions."

John sat down in his seat and folded his arms. "I don't know why you have to get so hopping mad at me," he said.

"Cause you almost ruined the whole thing!" Mac said. "I don't want to talk about it anymore. I want to go back to my hotel room…after we go to the precinct and give statements about what happened, and how I happened to get Danny out of a tower at a castle."

"Man, I'm glad I was there, because I would hate to have to try and sort all this out," Danny said.

"You're going home to your wife before you go over there," Mac informed him. "She needs to know you're okay."

"Right."

When they got to the shore, they got into the limo and were driven to Danny's apartment first. He and Mac went up to their apartment. Danny knocked on the door, and soon heard the lock. Lindsay opened the door, and she gasped when she saw Danny, but she jumped into his arms.

"I'm alright, Babe," he said as he could feel her crying and trembling. "Zorro here rescued me."

Mac thought Danny could make light of any situation. Lindsay looked at Mac and hugged him. "Thank you for bringing him back," she said.

"You're welcome," Mac said. "Danny, you stay here and I'll go down there and let them know you're here."

Danny nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Mac."

Mac went down the hall to the elevator. He was still dressed in his Zorro outfit, but right now, he had nothing else to wear unless he went to the hotel first, but he was not going to do that. He knew Jamie Lovado was still working at that precinct and she would listen to him.


	28. Chapter 28

When Mac walked into the precinct in his Zorro outfit, he definitely got some attention. He took the mask off, and the surprise on Jamie's face was enough for the whole place. She could not keep from laughing. "Mac Taylor, I would have expected to see anyone take off that mask besides you!" she said.

"I know," Mac replied. "I need to talk to you if I can."

"Who's this with you?"

"John Tanner."

"The millionaire?"

"Yeah."

"Well, come on."

Mac and Tanner followed Jamie into an interrogation room. She could not help but smile as she looked at Mac. "Will you be serious?" he asked.

"I'm seriously laughing at you," Jamie replied.

"I found Danny."

Jamie's smile disappeared then. "You what?"

"I found Danny. We got him out."

"From where?"

"He was being held captive in Fred Harrison's castle," Mac said. "He was in the tower."

"Where is he?"

"I had to take him to see Lindsay. You know what this has done to her."

Jamie nodded. "I better go get a report sheet," she said. She left the room.

Mac looked at John. "I'm just glad this didn't get any worse," he said.

"I'm sorry," John replied. "I guess I just wasn't thinking. I thought she would be alright there."

"You just let her come out there and you handcuffed her to the bed?"

"Well, I did a little more than that. I guess that's why she was so angry."

"You can't do people like that. That's not even ethical, or legal to do that."

"Okay, okay."

"Where do you think those jewels would be in that place? It's too big to go on a search."

John thought about that a moment. "I'm sure he has a safe in there somewhere," he said. "I wouldn't know where it is though."

"I have to say that was my first time in a castle."

"It's not much after you've been in them a few times."

Mac thought John looked bored. "You know, that woman we met tonight said that she was bored with all her millions," he said.

"That was Allison Chenning. She's an heiress. She's only inherited a portion of what she'll get later."

"What for?"

"I don't know. I guess to have something to worry over, and then leave to someone else."

"Never enjoy any of it herself?"

"Oh, she enjoys it. She travels all over the world."

"Do you?"

"Yeah."

"So you did know her, but she didn't know it was you."

"No. She didn't know me, but yeah, I knew it was her. She always wears the same costume. Some of that is real rubies on that mask she wears."

"She wears it out like that?"

"Yeah. I guess some people flaunt it."

Jamie came back into the room with a report sheet. "Okay," she said. She gave Mac a yellow notepad. "Write what happened." She gave Tanner a pad too. "You too."

Mac took the pen and sighed as he looked at the notepad. He hated to write all that down but he would have to. He started writing from the time they decided to go to the Halloween party. "You know, this city is crazy out there tonight," Jamie said. "When you walked in with that get-up on, I thought you were another crazy."

"And just look what you got," Mac replied.

Jamie smiled. "So, how is your wife?"

"She's doing fine. I'm sure she wants me to call her."

Jamie laid her cell phone on the table. "Go ahead."

"Thanks."

Connie was lying in bed when her phone rang. "Hello?" she answered.

"Connie, I'm at the police station," Mac said. "Everything's alright. I found Danny."

"Oh, Mac, that's wonderful. What about you? Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm fine. It mostly went off without a hitch."

"Hard to believe, huh?"

"Yes, but I'm glad I got Danny out of there."

"Are you coming back soon?"

"I'll be there later."

"Are you still wearing that sexy costume?"

Mac looked across the table at Jamie and then cleared his throat. "Yes," he said.

"Are you going to come to my rescue?"

Jamie could not keep from smiling at Mac's red face. "We'll talk about that when I get there," Mac said.

"Oh, you're not alone, huh?"

"No."

Connie giggled. "I'll bet your face is so red," she said.

"It might be."

"Such short answers."

"I have to write this report sheet about what happened. After that, I guess I'll be there."

"Make sure you still have that costume on, and I'll help you get it off."

"Okay. I'll see you later."

Mac could hear Connie laughing as she ended the call. He laid the phone on the table. John looked at him. "You did a terrible job trying to cover that up," John said.

"Cover what up?" Mac asked.

Jamie laughed out loud then. "What did she say?" John asked. "She wants you to come to her rescue?"

Mac frowned. "Shut up," he said.

Mac finished writing his account of what happened and gave it to Jamie. "That's all I know, but if Danny was there, we know that's who stole those jewels," he said.

Jamie nodded. "I have to get Danny's statement too."

"He'll be here tomorrow. He had to…"

"I know. Tomorrow will be soon enough."

When they were done in there, Mac sat at Jamie's desk until he had answered all the questions they could think of to ask him. He went out to the limo where John was already waiting. Mac sighed as he got in, and put the rest of his costume back on. He still wondered where Don was. He had not heard from him all day.

"So what will you do now?" John asked.

"Right now, I'm going back to my hotel room to get some rest after this fiasco we've been through," Mac said.

"I guess you thought you would be in serious trouble when she cuffed you to the bed, didn't you?"

Mac frowned. "That was all your fault."

"Well, you weren't making much head-way in getting away from her. I had to do something."

"Why didn't you just walk out?"

"Because then she would have been looking for us and that might have blown the whole operation. Can't you see that? You're the detective."

Mac shook his head. "She would probably have just gone back in there and got somebody else."

"I can tell you've never been to one of those parties."

"I don't think I ever want to be at another one either."

"We should go back there and try to find that safe."

"I can't go back! You got me thrown out, remember?"

"They wouldn't even know that."

"I don't think we could find that safe in there. Besides, even if we did, and we broke into it, it would be breaking and entering, and we could end up in prison, even if they have your jewels in there."

"My friend, he has his house open to everyone."

"Castle! Castle, John, as in large, with too many rooms. And I think that when it's open to everyone, that means only for the party."

"So what? You're a licensed private investigator."

"Not in this state."

"Are you kidding? You still have your detective's license."

"Still, we can't just break into someone's house."

"May I remind you, my friend, that we broke in there and got your friend out."

Mac had to admit that was right. They had crashed that party quietly. He wondered if anyone knew that Danny was gone yet. He supposed there was going to be a big stir over there at that party when they discovered it. Mac smiled and looked at Tanner. "You know, I think I do want to go back to that party," he said.

"What are you thinking?" John asked.

"I'm just curious."

John told his driver to take them back to the dock and they got a boat over to the island again. They mingled with the other party-goers, although most of them were paired off now, and some were drunk. Mac wondered what they were going to do after the party.

John went on into the party but Mac stood outside in the dark. He was glad he was wearing a costume that no one knew who he was, but he hoped he could see the reaction when they discovered that Danny was gone. He wondered if they would even know before morning. Maybe he and John could find that safe too.

As the night wore on, Mac began to wonder where John was because he did not see him in the main room anymore. Mac wondered if that woman he met before was in there but he did not see her, and he did not see the man who had thrown him out either. He went in and saw that everyone had definitely picked over the food tables but there was still plenty of candy in the coffin. He got a piece of chocolate candy and ate it while he looked around the room. He definitely did not see John. He could not be sure if the man was in there with a woman or if he was looking for that safe, but surely if he found the safe, he would come to find him.

Mac wandered over to the drink table. He knew all of that had to be spiked but he got one just so he would look like he was part of this party. He was a little worried about this because he had no idea what John would do…he was untrustworthy.

Just then, someone walked up behind Mac who was dressed like Darth Vader. "What are you doing here, Mac?" he asked in Darth Vader's voice.

Mac was surprised and looked up at him. "What?" he asked.

"You heard me. What would Connie say if she saw you with that drink?"

Mac frowned. "Don?"

Darth Vader nodded. "I thought I would crash this party but I saw you and your partner come back," he said.

"We got Danny out of here."

"I know, but he's looking for the jewels."

"Are you in on this with him?"

"I thought I'd let you find Danny and I would look for the jewels."

Mac looked around them. "Let's try to keep a low profile," he said. "I've already been thrown out of here once."

"I noticed."

"You've been here this whole time?"

"Not all of it but I saw you get thrown out."

"That's funny."

"I never would have thought I would see you in a costume like that."

"Well, if you want to tell everybody about it, it's too late."

"They already know, huh?"

"Yeah. Connie sent them all a message."

"I know, I got it too."

"Where have you been the last few days?"

"Around," Don said.

Just then, Mac saw John at the top of the staircase that went up from this area of the castle. He pointed to the hallway to the other side, and Mac nodded slightly. "Let's go," he whispered to Don.

They walked on across the room, paying attention to the people around them, making sure no one was watching them. They went down the hallway and soon came to another stairway where John was waiting for them halfway up. He motioned for them to follow him. Mac looked down that hallway again and then they followed John up the stairway. He led them down another hallway to a room that looked like the biggest office Mac had ever seen. Then, he opened a panel behind the desk that seemed to go into the wall.

"Come on," John said.

Mac was not sure about going into secret passageways but he followed John anyway. They went through a narrow passageway and down a stairway that led to a huge room that did not seem to have any other way out. "I don't like this," Mac said. "There's only one way out of here?"

"Don't be so nervous," John replied.

"I notice you're not surprised to see Don with us."

John smiled and then led them over to what appeared to be a bookshelf. He pulled the statue beside the bookshelf and it slid back to reveal a safe. Mac stared at it a moment. "How did you find this?" he asked.

"Does that matter?" John whispered. "Can you pick a safe lock?" He pulled out a stethoscope.

Mac looked at the stethoscope and then at John. "I'm sure he can," Don said without the Darth Vader synthesizer.

Mac took the stethoscope. He had to admit, he had never even tried anything like this but he had seen someone else do it a very long time ago. "Just make sure no one comes in here and catches us," he said.

"I will," Don replied.

Mac put the ear pieces in his ears and put the chest piece against the safe just above the dial. He turned the dial just to see if he could hear those clicks in there, and he could. John watched as Mac listened and turned the dial. "There's one," Mac said as he began turning the dial in the opposite direction.

Don hated sneaking around like this. He knew a few months ago, he and Mac would have never done anything like this but the job of a private investigator was different than that of a detective like they were before.

After what seemed like forever, Mac had the safe unlocked. He opened the door and looked inside but John practically pushed him out of the way. He grabbed a box that was sitting in the safe and opened it. Mac had not laid his eyes on those jewels until now. John looked at Mac. "This is them," he said.

"You know if we take them out of here, he'll never be convicted," Mac said.

"We can't leave them here."

Mac had to admit this was a lot of trouble to go through to just leave them there. However, John took another box from the safe which had diamonds in it that were not in jewelry. "What are you doing?" Mac asked.

"There's no telling where he got these from," John said.

"It doesn't matter. It's not our business to take anything but those jewels he stole from you."

John put the box back. "You're no fun."

"Thanks," Mac said.

They closed the safe and John put the jewels into a pack he had on his back. "I think someone's coming down this hall," Don whispered.

John ran to the other side of the room and opened another panel that went out into another area. Mac and Don ran that way, but John closed the door. "Sorry, guys, I have to get out of here with these," he said.

Mac wished he could get hold of that guy. "He betrayed us," Don said.

"Come on," Mac said.

They ran over to the other side of the room and got under the big desk that was there. Then they heard the door open. "If he's gone, chances are, they might have found the jewels," someone said.

"How did they get in here and get him out with no one seeing?" another voice asked angrily.

"I don't know, Sir. I did catch some people earlier who cuffed a woman to a bed and left her. There was a guy dressed like Zorro that I threw out of here."

"He didn't come back, did he?"

"I talked to one of the guys before, and they did see someone dressed like Zorro just a while ago."

"Somebody's toying with us."

Mac heard the dial on the safe turning. He looked at Don, and made some motions to let Don know that he was not going to just sit there. Don shook his head because he thought it was crazy but he also knew no one would know who they were.

When Mac heard the safe door open, he suddenly jumped up out of his hiding place and jumped up onto the desk. The two at the safe were so surprised, Mac had time to jump off the table and get out the door before they moved, and Don was right behind him.

Mac and Don ran down that hall and got back out into that big office where they had started from. However, there were two men in that office when they came barging out. Mac grabbed the sword he had which looked incredibly real, and it sounded real coming out of that sheath. He swatted that sword at the two guards and they moved backward so fast, they knocked over a big lamp and it crashed to the floor.

Mac used that distraction to get out the door, and Don was still right behind him. He was surprised at Mac's tactics at getting out of there. They ran down the hallway toward the main room, and burst out into the crowd that was still partying. There were a few screams as they came into the room in a run. Mac got out the back door and headed down to the dock, but John was already gone in the boat.

Don could see the anger on Mac's face even with that costume on. There was nothing worse than a traitor. They ran down the small pier to another boat that was tied there. "We're going to steal a boat?" Don whispered.

"You wanta swim?" Mac asked. "We have to get off this island."

Don could not argue with that. "Get in there!" Mac said as he held the boat still.

Don got into the boat, and then there were two men coming that way down the pier. Mac shoved the boat out. "Get going!" he said and turned to face the two who were coming that way. "Go!"

Don did not want to leave Mac, but he knew Mac would get another boat. Mac got into a fighting stance as the two approached him. "He must think he's really Zorro," one of them said.

Mac shut him up with an elbow to the nose and then he grabbed the other one and would have punched him in the nose, but the guy blocked Mac's punch and then landed a punch to Mac's ribs. Mac knew that other one would be getting up. While this one had both hands occupied, Mac rammed the heel of his hand into the man's nose. Then he turned to the other one and punched him in his already bloody nose.

Mac ran this time and tried to get into one of the boats, but the two grabbed him again. Mac flipped one of them over into the water, and then gave the other one an even sorer nose. However, Mac could see that others were coming. He had to get out of there. He jumped into the boat and jerked the line on the motor. It whirred to life and he got the boat going. He tried to stay low in case they shot at him, but he figured they did not want to start shooting because shooting attracted the police and then there would be questions and investigations. Mac knew they did not know who he was, but they were coming after him.

Mac did not see the boat that Don had left in, but he figured he had already made it to the other shore by now. It did not take long to get there. He was soon there himself and got out on the shore. His pursuers were right behind him, and they were soon coming after him on land. Mac was not sure where to go but he had no car to escape in. However, he heard a car horn, and looked to the right where he saw headlights blink at him. He thought that must be Don.

Mac headed toward the car that was up in the parking lot. Don thought it would be hilarious to see Mac running in that outfit if it were not for the situation they were in. His pursuers were right behind him though and they were not the same two he fought before. They caught him before he got to the car because he was running up a hill to get to the parking lot. They grabbed him, and they all three rolled down the hill because Mac lost his footing. Don saw what was happening, and he got out of the car.

Mac tumbled down the hill with this two attackers, and they attempted to pin him to the ground and take his mask off to see who he was. Mac was not so easily subdued, however. He kicked one of them in the stomach and knocked him backward. Then, Don was there and grabbed the other one. The man started to punch him but was shocked to see that he was being pulled back by Darth Vader. Don thought he would have laughed at the look on the man's face if he were not desperate to get away from there. He punched the man and knocked him into his counterpart, and then grabbed Mac and helped him up.

Mac and Don got up the hill and to the car. The other two were coming back up the hill but Don got out of there before they could. Mac leaned back on the seat as they were speeding away. "I'm going to ring that guy's neck!" he said and looked at Don. "They were trying to find out who I was. I feel like I'm really Zorro!"

Don laughed then. "Did you see the look on that guy's face when he looked up at me?" he asked. "I wish I had a camera."

Mac did not feel like laughing at Don's humor tonight. "Take me to John's mansion," he said as he rubbed his side where that guy hit him.

"You're not going over there and get in a fight, are you?" Don asked.

"He's gonna know how I feel about traitors."

"Just so long as I don't have to be arrested by Lovado."

"Don't worry. You're staying in the get-away car."

"Hey, I'll be as guilty as you are."

"Just drive."

"You know, I think I'm gonna start going to parties with you all the time. You're a blast."

Mac did not know what he was going to do when he got to that house, but John would know how displeased he was with his actions tonight, and he was going to pay him dearly for all the trouble he had gone through too.


	29. Chapter 29

Don drove up to John Tanner's mansion, and Mac could see that the limo was already there, of course. "Now, don't get into any trouble," Don said.

"Don't worry about it," Mac replied. He shut the car door and went up to the door of the mansion. He rang the doorbell and waited impatiently.

Soon, someone opened the door and Mac found that it was the maid. "I want to see John Tanner right now," Mac said. "And don't even try to tell me he's not here."

"Yes, sir," the woman said. "Come this way."

Mac followed the woman into the house and she led him upstairs to the same office he had been in before. She knocked on the door, but Mac just shoved it open and closed it behind him. John was standing at his safe. "You betrayed us!" Mac declared.

"Now, hold on," John said as Mac came toward him.

"I don't care what kind of DO you know, I'm about to clean your clock!"

John had no doubt of that as Mac grabbed him by the shirt collars and shoved him against the wall. "I don't like traitors," Mac growled.

"I wasn't betraying you," John said.

"What do you call it? I expect to be well-paid for what I've been through tonight, and my friend too!"

"You will be."

"Now!"

Mac let go of John and he got into his safe where Mac could see that the jewels were in there now. "Don't you think it's a little stupid to have those here again?" Mac asked.

"What do you suggest?" John asked.

"I know a perfect place for them."

John took a stack of money from the safe and put it in a briefcase for Mac. "That's for you and your friend," he said. He put the jewels in there too. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"I do." Mac took the briefcase and set it on the desk. "This is for the trouble I went through." Mac hit John in the side. "That hurt!"

John looked at Mac as he held his side. "I guess I deserved that, but I should retaliate."

"Why don't you try it? I would enjoy getting into a big scuffle with you."

"You might not. You have a lot of confidence in yourself."

Mac got the briefcase. "I'm outa here," he said. "And I don't ever want to see or hear from you again except to get these jewels to that museum."

"No one has to know they were ever stolen."

"Fred Harrison knows."

"He can't do anything about it."

"See you around."

Mac left there and went out to the car where Don was waiting. "Go to the lab," Mac said. He opened the briefcase and divided the money between himself and Don. "This is our pay for going through all that trouble."

"You didn't…steal it, did you?" Don asked.

"Are you kidding?"

"I'm sorry. I just knew how angry you were."

"I'm not a thief, Don. I'm surprised that you would even say that to me."

"I'm sorry."

They arrived at the lab, and Mac had called to let Jo know he was coming this time and she met him in the lobby. She smiled at his costume. "Let's not go into that," he said. "I'm just about tired to the bone, and I want to get this over with."

Jo took Mac up to the lab and locked those jewels in the vault. "They won't get them out of there," she said.

"It's just until tomorrow morning," Mac said. "I'll be here to get them."

"I'll be here."

"Thanks."

"I'll drive you to your hotel, Mac," Jo said.

"Don's out there. He has his car." Mac yawned.

When they got down to the car, Don was yawning himself. "Let's get out of here and get some rest," Mac said.

"I agree," Don replied.

Don drove to Mac's hotel. Mac wondered what Connie was thinking when it took him this long to get back. He went up to the room and went in. "Mac!" Connie exclaimed. "Where have you been?"

"I feel like I've been around the world and to the underworld too," Mac said. He sat down on the bed. "I don't want to ever do anything like this again."

Connie sat down beside him and Mac looked at her. "I don't know if I have the energy to come to your rescue or not," he said.

"What happened?"

"Let's get into bed and then I'll tell you."

"Oh, let me undress you."

Mac looked at her a moment. He thought if she undressed him, he would not get any rest. "Go ahead," he said.

Connie smiled and went over in front of him. "Stand up," she said.

Mac stood up and looked down into her eyes. "Oh, can't we pretend you're really Zorro?" she asked.

Mac could not help but laugh then. "What's so funny?" Connie asked.

"I think I've pretended to be Zorro enough tonight," Mac said.

Connie put her hands on her hips. "With everybody but me."

Mac could see that pouty look on her face. "Okay, what do you want me to do? You're not tied up."

"You could cuff me to the bed."

Mac frowned. "No. I would rather not."

"Why, Baby?" she asked and put her arms around his neck.

"If you knew what I had been through tonight, you would know."

"Is it that bad?"

"Yes."

Connie sighed. "I thought we could have some fun with this costume."

"I thought we would too but…" Mac shook his head. "I'm sorry."

"I'll still help you get out of this thing."

"I think it's going to need to be dry cleaned before we take it back. It probably has some blood on it and…"

"Blood?"

"Well, not mine. Somebody else's."

Connie just stared at him a moment and then she took his hat off and threw it in the floor. "Now, I will unmask thee," she said.

Mac smiled as she untied that mask/bandana. "I think I was starting to feel attached to that thing."

"You're hilarious. I can't wait to hear this story."

When Mac had that costume off, they got into the bed. "Now, tell me what happened," Connie said.

Mac sighed as he relaxed. "Well, it sure is a long story," he said.

"I'm listening."

Mac thought he might fall asleep telling it now that he was lying down. Then Connie noticed the bruise on his side. "What happened to you?" she asked.

"I got in a fight," Mac said. "It's alright." He relaxed more on the bed and he just realized how his muscles ached. "We got to that party and it was everything he said it was. There was a huge room in that place and I lost John for a little while, and then I got cornered by this woman. She was there to find a man. I guess John saw what was going on and he came over there. We went down to her room with her so we could get into another part of the castle."

"You went to her room?"

"Yeah, she had rented a room in that place. She went into the bathroom, and I left, and John stayed in there. While he was in there I was looking for Danny."

Mac told her the whole story. Connie laughed when he got to the part about drawing the sword at the two guys in that room. "I think they thought I was going to spill their guts," Mac said.

Connie laughed. "You probably looked like you were."

"That thing wouldn't cut hot butter but they didn't know that. I fought my way out the rest of the way."

"He just left you?"

"Yes. I wouldn't trust him again."

"I wish I could have been with you."

"Honey…"

"I know I couldn't but I still wish I could have."

Mac closed his eyes. "I'm tired," he said.

Connie kissed him and then lay her head on his shoulder. She watched his breathing change as he fell asleep. She could hardly believe that guy just left them there like that so he could get away with his jewels. She knew Tanner cared more for those jewels than he did about friends. She also knew that he could not have had a better friend than Mac, but he would never trust him again.

The next morning, Mac was awakened by his phone. He took a deep breath and got the phone from the nightstand where it was lying. "Hello," he answered.

"Are you still in bed?" John Tanner asked. "I can't get my jewels out of that place without you."

Mac looked at his watch. "It's only seven am, John. They're not going anywhere."

"I want to get those in that museum as soon as it is opened. Today is the ceremony, you know."

"Yes, I know. We recovered them just in time."

"You don't sound very enthusiastic about that."

"I'm not very enthusiastic about anything that has to do with you."

"Look, I told you I was sorry."

"Sorry isn't good enough when you betray somebody."

"I guess I deserve that."

"You do, and a lot more. I shouldn't even help you with this but I never leave a job undone."

"I appreciate that."

"Do you? I doubt it, but I'll be to the lab in about two hours."

"Two hours?"

"Yes, two hours. Not before."

"Fine, Taylor."

Mac ended the call. He thought maybe he should hand those jewels in for evidence and not let the man have them back, but he was not on that case. He did not know who had killed those two people at John Tanner's mansion but that was not his job. His job had been to bring those jewels to New York and he had done that, lost them, and then found them again, and rescued Danny.

Mac sat up in the bed, and Connie sat up beside him. "Who was that?" she asked.

"It was John," Mac said and yawned. "When this is over, I'm going to stay in this bed for two days without getting up."

"Can I stay in it with you?"

"You better believe it."

Mac sat up on the side of the bed but Connie pulled him down. "We didn't get to play last night," she said. "I didn't get to unmask Zorro."

Mac laughed at that. "I thought you did."

"Yeah, but I didn't get to play with you."

Mac lay back down in the bed and looked at her. "You can play with me now," he said. "John can wait. He can't get in to those jewels until I get there anyway."

Connie leaned over him and kissed him. "I love you," she said.

"I love you too."

"Don't be going to any more sex parties without me."

"Don't worry."

Connie lay down on the bed. "So come and get me, Zorro."

Mac propped up on his elbow. "I thought you were going to get me," he said. "We better make up our minds. We have to get breakfast and I have to go to the lab."

Connie pretended to think about that. "Okay," she said. She threw the covers back and ran into the bathroom.

Mac sat there and looked toward the bathroom and then heard the water come on. "Does that mean No?" he called.

"No, it means come and get me!"

Mac smiled and went into the bathroom. Connie wrapped the shower curtain around herself. "Why, you peeping tom," she said.

"I'm going to do more than peep," Mac replied.

Connie laughed as Mac grabbed her before she could get into the shower. He pulled her into the shower as he had his arms around her from behind. "I love shower love," Connie said.

Mac laughed. "Is that what you call it?"

"I don't know but that's what I call it. Now, get on with it."

"You're in a hurry?"

"Yes. I waited for you half the night and then you were too tired, and now I'm hungry so let's get it on."

"Don't worry."

When they were done with that shower, they had an hour to get to the lab. Mac was not worried about it though. He had no intention of inconveniencing himself for that man again. They went to breakfast and then went to the lab. John was waiting when they got there. "You're late," he pointed out.

"Ten minutes," Mac said.

"You did it on purpose."

Mac glared at him. "So what if I did?"

John swallowed hard. "Never mind. Can we just go and get them and go to the museum?"

"Yeah, we can."

Mac called Jo to let her know that they were there so they would not have so much trouble getting up to the lab. Jo was soon down there and took them up to the lab. "We had to keep this from the chief that you were keeping these jewels in there," Jo said. "We got a statement from Danny this morning, and that castle is being searched. You better have a good explanation for how you found these."

"By being a private investigator," Mac said.

Jo opened the vault and gave Mac the package that contained the jewels. Mac looked at Connie. "I want you to stay here until I get these to that museum," he said.

"I thought I was going with you," Connie argued.

"I did too but I'm a little nervous about this."

"You can stay in my office," Jo said. "I can introduce you to everyone you haven't met, show you how a lab works, where Mac's office was."

"Yeah. I haven't even had time to show you all that," Mac agreed.

"Alright," Connie said. "But just hurry back this time."

"I'm going to."

Mac and John went to the elevator as Jo called security and let them know that they were coming down. Connie watched Mac get into the elevator and he looked out at her before the doors closed. "Oh, if I had a man that looked at me like that, I would just die," Jo said.

Connie smiled. "He does have a stare like no other," she replied.

"Well, let's get to my office."

They went to Jo's office which was Mac's office before. "This used to be Mac's office," she said. "It was much neater then."

"Wow, this is a big office," Connie said as she looked around. "It's hard to believe he gave all this up to work on a ranch."

"He seems happier than he ever was here."

"He does?"

"Yes. I remember when he first moved out there, we thought he was just depressed and trying to run from what had hurt him so badly but we realized he wasn't coming back."

"To tell you the truth, I don't know if he misses it or not. He seems to be happy but I know when he got that opportunity to transport those jewels, he was happy about that too."

"I don't think he's very happy with the one who hired him to do it."

"No, he's not. He'll never trust that man again. He betrayed them."

"What?"

Connie told Jo what Mac had told her. "That man is so dishonest," she said. "Mac is all about honesty."

"I know that. So, how are you feeling this morning?"

"Better since I ate, but I'll feel even better when he has those jewels where they belong and is free of this situation."

"I'm sure you will."

Mac and John went down to John's limo and headed for the museum. Mac had an eerie feeling about this. He knew those people might not be done with trying to steal these jewels. He watched out the windows especially behind them but he did not see anything yet.

"Stop being so nervous," John said. "We're in the final stretch now."

"Yeah. That's always the most dangerous time."

"You really think they are going to try to steal these jewels before we can get into that museum?"

"They could try to steal them while we're in there."

They arrived at the museum and were met at the door by security and the curator. Mac was glad he was about to not be responsible for those jewels anymore. He did not even like having them in his hands.

There was a display case already set up for those jewels, and they went over to that which was on the second floor. However, the jewels would be moved to the lower floor before the presentation. They would be locked in with a security system.

Just as they were about to put them into the case, they heard a loud sound and three armed men came into the open area. Mac grabbed the gun he had on his side and was glad that he had worn a bulletproof vest, because the thieves this time had automatic weapons.

Mac dove behind a metal pedestal that was holding a display as he heard gun fire. He had the jewels in his hand and he shoved them inside his jacket. He got a good aim and fired, hitting two of the gunmen, but the other one fired back at him. Mac knew he had to get out of that position he was in. He fired as he ran for a better cover spot, but then he felt bullets hit the back of his vest as he was running. It felt like something slammed into him to crush him. His breath left him, and he fell to the floor. He turned and got his gun up again as the gunman had thought he had him and was shocked to see Mac turn with a glare. The man had no time to get his gun up again as Mac fired. Mac laid back on the floor trying to get his breath back and feeling where those bullets had been stopped by that vest. Even though they did not go into his body, he knew they had left some deep bruises. He heard the alarm blasting in the museum and then someone leaned over him.

"Are you alright?" the woman asked.

Mac was not sure he could talk yet, but he said, "Yes." He tried to sit up to see what had happened and he saw John lying in the floor.

Mac got over to John who was bleeding from his side. "John," he said.

"I guess you were right, Taylor," John said without opening his eyes.

"An ambulance will be here soon."

"You know, I shouldn't have betrayed you, Taylor. You're a good man."

"Don't worry about that right now," Mac said. He looked at the wound and saw that blood was oozing out at an alarming rate. He grabbed John's hand and started putting pressure on the wound. "Hang in there."

Mac looked to see the security guard lying on the floor too but he could see a bullet wound in the man's chest. Mac rubbed his forehead with his wrist as he felt the pain in his own back. "This is not your fault," John said. "You were right. It was my fault."

Mac thought he felt a little sick. He pulled the jewel box out of his jacket. "Well, I guess the jewels are safe," he said.

The woman who was supposed to get the jewels took them. "I will get these into their place," she said.

Mac was glad to let her have them. He was not feeling well. He managed to get to his feet but he thought he would fall. John could see Mac weaving on his feet. "Sit down, Mac," he said.

The next thing Mac knew, he was in a hospital room. When he tried to move, his back hurt terribly and so did his head. "Mac?"

Mac realized Connie was there. "What happened?" he asked.

"You were shot in the back."

Mac shook his head. "No. I had on a vest."

"The doctor said the impact of the bullets caused a spinal concussion. One of them hit your spine."

Mac just relaxed on the bed. "They tried to get those jewels again," he said. He looked at Connie. "I want to go home."

"I'm ready when you are," Connie said.

"I want to go as soon as I get out of here."

"I'll go to the hotel and I'll pack up our stuff when I find out when you're getting out."

Mac nodded. "I'm so tired, and I've already been paid."

Connie stroked his hair. "I'm just glad you had the vest on."

"Me too. It sure did hurt."

"I didn't see but the doctor says you have deep bruising."

"I know it. How's John?"

"I don't know yet. He was in surgery."

"The guard?"

"He's dead, and the woman at the museum said you saved her life."

Mac scowled as he did not even remember doing anything much except getting shot. "I don't remember," he said.

"Don't worry about anything."

"I'm just glad this is over for us."

Connie was not so sure that it was all over. She had been talking to investigators and everyone. However she did not know anything about what happened. They had seemed to indicate that there was a lot of explaining to do about how those jewels suddenly reappeared. She thought Mac would have to answer a lot of questions but she was going to be with him this time.


	30. Chapter 30

The next morning, Mac thought his back was even sorer, but the doctor told him that he was out of danger except for those deep bruises and the pain. Mac looked at this left hand that seemed even more tingly than usual. He had always had trouble with that hand since he was injured in the war. He was glad he was right handed.

"Something wrong?" Connie asked as she saw Mac looking at his hand.

"No." Mac realized that he had never even told Connie about that. "I just have trouble with that hand since I was injured in the war. It damaged a nerve there."

"You never told me that."

Mac shrugged. "I guess I'm just used to it now and I don't think about talking about it. It tingles sometimes and sometimes some of the fingers are kinda numb."

Connie thought that sounded terrible but she knew a lot of veterans had a lot of things they had to live with since they were in wars. Mac looked at her. "What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"Just thinking about what you just told me," Connie said.

"Well, I just remember that it could have been a lot worse."

"Right."

Someone knocked on the door. "Come in!" Connie called.

A man dressed in a suit came in whom Connie did not know, but Mac knew him. "Russ? What are you doing here?" Mac asked.

"I came to see the old man," Russ said. "I have to ask you a lot of questions. I thought I would get it over with so you can get back to your life." Russ looked at Connie. "So, this is the lovely wife?"

"Yes," Mac said. "Connie, this is Russ Josephson."

"Nice to meet you," Connie said.

Russ sat down in a chair. "So, how are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm alright," Mac said. "Just got hit hard by those bullets."

"I heard. You were lucky to have the vest on."

Mac nodded. "I was afraid something might happen."

"You always did have good instincts."

"You better if you're in this business."

"Right."

Russ asked Mac a lot of questions about what happened and had Mac write a statement about the situation. "You ever thought of being an FBI agent?" Russ asked.

"No," Mac said. "I am retired from this work. I just took this job…right now, I don't even know why I took it."

"So you're finished with all this, huh?"

"Yes. I just want to get this done and go home."

"You don't have any idea who killed those two people at the house?"

"No. I didn't see anything. I would assume that it was one or more of those guards who chased me all over that castle."

Russ smiled. "I heard about that little excursion around the castle. I have to get John's account of that when he's awake too."

"I'm sure he'll have some interesting things to say," Mac said.

"I take it you don't like him very much?"

"No, I don't, and I won't work for him again. But his account of what happened is probably true."

"Probably?"

"Well, I would have to read it to know for sure."

Russ was silent a moment as he looked over Mac's statement. "I hear you're going to be a father," he said.

"I am," Mac replied.

"Congratulations. You're finally going to join the rest of us in the stress."

Mac smiled. "Is it that stressful?"

Russ looked at him. "Just wait till you have a teen, then you'll know what stress really is. I think that's how I learned to cope with this job so well."

"I wasn't that bad as a teen," Connie said. "I must say my brothers were pretty bad."

"I was always running around everywhere," Mac said. He frowned as he remembered what had confined him to his room and the library. After he had seen his friend beaten to death and saw a man shot, he had not been very social.

"There he goes into that place again," Russ remarked.

Mac scowled. "What?" he asked.

"You always retreat somewhere into the past."

"Well, I have a long past. Are you done here yet?"

"Yeah, I'm done. Everything looks in order."

Russ stood up. "I'm glad you're alright, Mac," he said. "And being a father is a pleasure. It's not always easy but it's fun."

Mac nodded. "That's what I've heard," he replied.

"You take care." Russ looked at Connie. "It was nice to meet you. Keep him out of trouble."

"I'll try," Connie said.

Russ left and Mac relaxed on the bed. "I guess I should get up and get dressed," he said.

"Maybe," Connie said.

"I remember telling you that I was going to stay in that bed for two days."

"But yesterday you said you wanted to go home."

"I do. Did you go and check us out?"

"Not yet."

"Well, when I get up off this bed, I might have to see if we should stay another day or two."

"Okay."

Mac sat up and all the muscles in his back screamed about that. "Oh, I don't know if I can sit on a plane for three hours yet," he said.

"Is it bad?" Connie asked.

"Pretty bad."

Mac groaned as he turned in the bed to put his legs over the side. Connie was standing next to him and he could see the concern on her face. "I'll be alright, Babe," he said. "Those bullets have quite an impact when they hit. It felt like something fell on me."

"Oh, Mac, what if you hadn't worn that vest?" Connie asked.

"I did."

"I don't like you being in situations like this."

"Don't worry. I don't want to be in anything else like this either."

"I'll get your clothes. Are you going to take a shower?"

"It might be good if I did, but I still have this IV."

"Maybe they will come and get it out soon."

Just as Connie said that, a nurse came in to remove the IV and get Mac to sign his release papers. Mac thought the IV was worse coming out than it was going in. He supposed that area around it was raw.

When all that was done, Mac got ready to leave. "I guess I should go and see John," he said.

They went down and found out what room John Tanner was in and then went to his room. Mac knocked on the door but did not hear anything so he opened the door and went in. John had several tubes to him and a heart monitor. Mac swallowed hard remembering waking up in that condition. He walked over to the bed. "Hey, John," he said.

John opened his eyes slightly. "Mac Taylor. I didn't think I would see you again," he said groggily.

"I thought I'd come and see how you are."

"I'm lousy, but I guess I'll live."

"I'm sorry things turned out the way they did."

"It was far from your fault."

"Connie and I will be leaving soon. I want to get on back home."

"Maybe I'll drop in on you someday, Taylor. I hear there's a lot of fresh air out there."

"There is."

"My limo will take you anywhere you want. You just use it as much as you need."

"Thanks, John."

Mac could see that John was going to sleep again so they left. "Are we going to use the limo?" Connie asked.

Mac looked at her. "Do you want to?" he asked.

Connie smiled. "Yes."

"Well, we might as well ride in style."

When they got downstairs, there was a limo sitting there and the driver was waiting for them. He opened the door for them as though he had been expecting them. "Thanks," Mac said.

"You're welcome," the man said.

"We need to go to our hotel."

"We'll be there soon."

Mac and Connie got into the car. "I don't like someone driving me everywhere," Mac said.

"I kinda like this limo," Connie replied.

Mac kissed her. "Just for you I will ride in it."

"Wouldn't you want to have a limo if we could? And a driver?"

"No. I like to drive myself."

"You want to get back to your truck."

"I sure do. I miss my Avalanche."

"To tell you the truth, I miss it too, and I miss the ranch."

"Me too. I'll be glad when we're back home."

"I think we're both homesick."

"I know I am."

When they got to the hotel, the driver let them out of the limo. "I'll wait for you," he said.

"Thanks," Mac replied.

Mac and Connie went into the hotel with some people looking at them. Mac figured it was because they had gotten out of a limo at the door, and they were wondering who they were. They went up to their room and got all their stuff. "We have to take this costume back," Mac said.

"I wish we could just buy it," Connie replied with a smile.

"Why?"

"So you could play Zorro with me."

"I think I would rather take it back."

"Oh Mac, can't you have some fun with me?"

Mac had to admit he was letting what happened turn him against the costume, and it was not the costume that caused the problem but it reminded him of the trouble he was in. "I'll think about it on the way to the costume shop," he said.

They checked out of the hotel which would be paid for by John Tanner. Mac almost winced as he got back into the car as his back was uncomfortable sitting down. He told the driver to take them to the costume shop. "Come on, Mac, buy it," Connie said. "You look so sexy in it."

"So?" Mac said. "You're the only one who thinks that."

"No I'm not but you don't have to wear it anywhere but at home."

"Alright. I'll buy it but I'm not wearing it any time soon."

"Oh, it won't be long until I'll be big and pregnant."

They arrived at the costume shop and Mac went inside. He paid for the costume and then went out so they could get to the airport. Their flight would leave in an hour. Mac did not think he had ever been so glad to see the airport because they were going home. He supposed he should have gone and told Jo and the others good-bye but he did not want to.

When Mac and Connie landed in Wyoming, there was snow on the ground but not so much that their flight was delayed. They were soon back in Dubois at their own house. "Oh, I'm so glad to be home!" Connie said as they went to the door.

Mac was glad to be there too. He unlocked the door and they went inside. Connie took a deep breath and went over to the couch where she just stopped a moment. Mac set his suitcase down and leaned backward with the pain in his back. He looked at Connie who was just standing and looking around the house.

"Something wrong?" Mac asked.

Connie looked at him. "Someone's been in this house," she said.

Mac scowled. "What?"

"Look around at it, Mac."

Mac looked around the room and then frowned. He realized the house did not smell like it had been empty for a few days, and he went over to the fireplace which had fresh ashes in it. He looked at Connie. "Who could have been in this house?" he asked.

"I don't know," Connie said. "But a better question is 'are they still here'?"

"You stay here."

Connie was not sure she wanted to stay there alone. "Mac, I don't want to stand here alone," she said.

"Come on then."

They went down the hallway to their bedroom. Mac looked in the room and searched the whole room, but there was no one there. He got his gun from the top drawer while he was in there. "Now, you lock this door and stay in here," Mac whispered. "We know there's no one in here."

"Mac be careful."

Mac could see the fear on her face. He gave her the rifle. "Don't hesitate to shoot," he said.

Connie looked into Mac's eyes and nodded. "I won't," she replied.

"Just stay here and stay quiet. Call the sheriff."

"Okay."

Mac left that room and made sure the door was locked and went back down the hallway. His back hurt terribly with all this new tension. He had thought when they got home they would have peace for at least a while. He looked out into the living room which was still empty so he went over to the other side of the house and up the short stairway. He looked into the office and the other room, but there was no one in there, so he went down to the basement. He had an eerie feeling as he got to the doorway at the end of the short stairway. He pulled the hammer back on his gun and looked into the basement hallway. He could not see into the two bedrooms from where he was. He did not know who would be in their house and why. They had nothing that valuable to be stolen.

Mac went on into the hallway and moved slowly toward the first room which had the door open. He moved into the doorway but there was nothing in there so he moved on down the hallway toward the other room, and that door was closed. He did not know why this door was closed because they usually left them open. They hardly ever came down to the basement except to wash and dry clothes.

Mac felt nervous as he moved up to that door and gripped the knob. He turned it slowly and then shoved the door open. As he stepped into that doorway, he was suddenly sprayed in the face, and he stepped backward as his eyes seemed to be on fire and his nose, mouth and throat too. Then someone grabbed him and shoved him into the wall which caused pains in his back. Mac was trying to get his eyes open, as they struggled over the gun which went off in to the ceiling.

Connie gasped as she heard the gunshot. She turned the bedroom light off and got over behind the bed and aimed the rifle toward the bedroom door. She took a deep breath to try and get her hands to stop shaking. She wondered what was going on and had no way of finding out but if anyone came through that door besides Mac, she would shoot them.

Mac struggled with his attacker and he could not get a look at him because his eyes were burning and watering. He hit Mac and knocked him to the floor and then tried to choke him. Mac got his foot up and kicked the man off him and then he wiped his eyes and he was coughing now too. The man tackled him and they were in a struggle in the floor again. Mac felt like he could not get any breath but he kept struggling. However, his attacker hit him in the stomach. Mac thought he would be sick but the man got him up from the floor and slammed him into the wall.

Mac could see that his attacker was Brian Burns now. "How did you get out?" Mac asked.

"It wasn't easy," Brian replied. "But you won't be able to stop me."

Brian slammed Mac's head into the wall. Mac still felt like he had no breath and he struggled to get some strength but Brian rammed his head into the wall again. Mac hit the floor trying to get his bearings back but he felt like he was drifting. He thought Brian must be there after Connie again. He had to get up.

Brian left that hallway and headed across the house. He wanted Mac to be awake and in a position that he could hear Connie calling for him and could do nothing to help her.

Connie was waiting and could hear nothing but silence, and then she heard someone in the hallway. "Oh, Sweetheart, your lover is here!" Brian called.

Connie tried not to gasp. She wondered what he had done to Mac but she had to keep her mind on what was going on. She pulled the hammer back on the rifle. "You come through that door and I will shoot you!" she said.

"Aw, you wouldn't do that, would you?"

Connie fired a shot at the door. "Try me!" she yelled.

Brian was surprised by that because the shot had come through the door. If he had been standing in front of the door, it would have hit him.

Mac heard the shot as he was trying to get up. He still could not see clearly but he managed to find his gun that he had lost. He went into the basement bathroom and washed his eyes and threw up. Then he was able to see better. He went back down the hallway and up the stairs. His vision was still a little blurry but he could see well enough to get into the living room, and then he saw blue lights flashing outside. He started to move over to the front door but then he saw Brian come from the hallway across the living room. "Stop!" Mac yelled.

Brian aimed and shot at Mac but missed. Mac had jumped out of the way and did not get up before Brian had gotten to the back door of the house. Mac wanted to go after him, but he had to see about Connie. He opened the door and Ben was there. "He went out the back door!" Mac said.

Ben drew his own weapon. "Who?"

"Brian Burns! I have to go and see what he did to Connie!"

Ben went around one side of the house and his deputy went around the other. Mac ran down the hallway. "Connie!" he called.

"Mac?"

"Yes, it's me!"

Connie put the safety back on that rifle and ran to the bedroom door. She opened the door and grabbed Mac as she was crying with relief. "Are you alright?" Mac asked.

"Yes," Connie said.

"Don't get this pepper spray on you." Mac pushed her hair back. "Everything's okay now. Ben's out there after Brian."

"Brian? I thought he was in jail!"

"He was supposed to be but he got out somehow."

Just then they heard two shots outside. Mac rubbed his eyes that were sore now and still burning a little. "What did he do to you?" Connie asked.

"He sprayed me with pepper spray," Mac said. He rubbed his head. "And tried to knock me out."

"Why does all this keep happening?"

"It's over." Mac looked at the hole in the bedroom door. "Well, I guess you gave him a fair warning, didn't you?"

"I would have shot him if he came through that door."

"Well, we're going to search this house and see what all he bothered and we're going to clean it."

"Oh, Mac, how long was he here?"

"I don't know, but this is our house and we're going to fix it."

Connie nodded. Then they heard someone come into the house. "Mac! Connie!" Ben called.

Mac and Connie went down the hallway and turned the light on in the living room. "We're okay," Mac said.

"You don't look okay," Ben said as he pointed to Mac's face. "Did he mace you?"

"Pepper spray."

"Was he in here when you got home?"

"Yes."

"How did you know?"

"Instincts."

"I drove by this house several times while you guys were out of town and I didn't see anything out here," Ben declared.

"It's not your fault," Mac said. "This has not been a very good week for us. We just want to forget about it. Did you get that guy?"

"Yeah. He won't be coming and bothering you again."

Mac frowned. "So, he's dead?"

Ben nodded. "He tried to shoot at us. It's hard to believe that he did this."

"How did he get away?"

"I don't know that. He wasn't in my custody. That's something that someone else will have to answer."

"He was here in our house!" Connie said. "He had even burned wood in the fireplace."

Ben scowled. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't know."

"It's not your fault," Mac assured him.

"So, I heard what happened with the jewels…part of it anyway."

Mac sighed. "I don't ever want to do anything like that again," he said. "John is not the kind of person I want to work for."

"I want to hear that story. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I guess. He tried to knock me out but I don't want to go to another hospital."

"Nobody wants to but sometimes we have to."

"I just hope we can live a while without any disturbance."

"Me too, Mac. I'll take you to the ER if you need to go."

Mac looked at Connie. "You better go," she said. "Just to be safe."

"Alright," Mac said. "But I'm not staying."

Mac knew the cops would be around there for a while so he had to leave the house open and he showed them where he had struggled with Brian Burns in the basement. Then Ben took him to the ER. Mac hoped this was the last time he would see an ER for a long time too.


End file.
